This story is from May 22, 2016

Gun smuggling in Chennai on the rise

Two recent incidents - seizure of two guns from a realtor accused of killing three people with 'potassium cyanide' shots and the murder of a travel agent in Sowcarpet - had sent the city police on a search for the origin of firearms, but they yielded nothing. All they got was a confirmation: Gun culture is on the rise in the city.
Gun smuggling in Chennai on the rise
Chennai: Two recent incidents - seizure of two guns from a realtor accused of killing three people with 'potassium cyanide' shots and the murder of a travel agent in Sowcarpet - had sent the city police on a search for the origin of firearms, but they yielded nothing. All they got was a confirmation: Gun culture is on the rise in the city.
Earlier, on March 6, the Organized Crime Investigation Unit (OCIU) managed to seize a 0.22 mm bore pistol from four men in Koyambedu.
These incidents had the security experts worried over the frequency of the use of illegal firearms in the recent past.
Police sources say there are atleast 2,550 licensed firearms, and illegal firearms are equal in number. According to latest statistics released by the ministry of home affairs, Tamil Nadu stands second in terms of seizure of illegal firearms. Some 290 country-made guns and revolvers were seized from TN.
Nearly 230 people have been arrested in Tamil Nadu over the past four years in illegal arms cases. About 45,366 illegal weapons were seized from Jaunary 2011 to January 2015, most of them in states like Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other militant infested states. In the south, Andhra Pradesh tops the chart with 921 seizures of weapons, while Tamil Nadu and Kerala reported 290 and 139 seizures during this period.
A police officer said people in TN manage to procure weapons from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for anything between 5,500 and 10,000. "Since smuggling of firearms happens through road, it is difficult to keep a check," said a senior police officer. Most of the firearms, according to police, are being brought in by brokers who mainly use trucks as the means of transportation.
"We are trying to keep a tab on weapon suppliers. We will soon draw up detailed plan to stop illegal firearms entering the state," the officer added.
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