Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal police have launched ‘Operation Safe Eye’, a major crackdown on the illegal use and sale of carbide guns, seizing over 80 such devices from various parts of the city, including MP Nagar, Bag Sewania, Gandhi Nagar and Govindpura.
Police are also interrogating several people to trace the supply network and determine how these guns were circulated during Diwali, police officials said.
Carbide guns available as an alternative to firecrackers for producing loud bangs have led to severe injuries and vision loss among hundreds of people across Madhya Pradesh including in Bhopal.
In some cases, people reportedly lost their eyesight after the gun misfired or the residue spread in the air and affected their eyes and skin.
While farmers typically use the industrial grade version of these guns to scare away monkeys and birds from crops, smaller and cheaply assembled versions made from PVC pipes and lighter parts have flooded the local markets during the festive season.
Shockingly, these hazardous devices usually sold online for Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 were being sold openly for as low as Rs 200 to Rs 300 during Diwali. Authorities have warned that possession and use of such explosive devices is illegal and strict action will be taken against those found manufacturing, selling or firing them.
Police commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra said instructions have been issued to all police stations to check the local firecracker shops and seize carbide guns. He urged citizens to refrain from using carbide guns and report any sale or possession to the nearest police station.
42 carbide guns recovered from youth
Bagsewania police recovered around 42 carbide guns from a youth named Bhaiyyu Chauhan. The guns were found inside a sack he was carrying. Along with the guns, , police also seized 29 lighters and about 1.5 kilograms of calcium carbide, a substance used as the gun’s explosive component.
According to police officials the accused, a resident of the Kolar revealed during interrogation that illegal manufacturing of carbide guns is being carried out in Kolar’s slum settlements.
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