Hyderabad: There are at least 20 authorised gun sellers in the city but their sales are not is much compared to metropolitan cities like Mumbai and New Delhi. However, a large number of illegal weapons are smuggled into the city from Maharashtra, UP, Bihar, and other northern states. An illegal gun dealer can procure a country-made pistol for as cheap as Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 and sell it in the city for around Rs 20,000. Stolen weapons are also available in the market.
As per a study conducted by the Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament and Environmental Protection (IIPDEP), Hyderabad is among the cities to which the maximum number of illegal weapons manufactured in Bihar and UP are smuggled in. In Hyderabad, apart from robbers, several people including rowdy sheeters, realtors and traders buy weapons. Most customers choose smuggled guns since getting an arms license is not an easy task.
A customer can get a locally manufactured gun that can match its international counterpart. “These guns have the quality of the original,” said Dr Balakrishna Kurvey, a senior official from IIPDEP.
Most weapons arrive in the city by road. The weapons are smuggled in small numbers to evade the police. “Only after taking orders will the dealer bring the weapon. Only one or two weapons are brought by road at a time,” said a source. The prices vary as per quality. While a tamancha can be got for Rs 20,000 or less, the price of a bigger weapon will be a lot more. “In one case, a dealer, Akhilesh, bought a country-made AK 47 for Rs 30,000 from Bihar and was planning to sell the same to a customer for Rs 50,000,” said DCP B. Limba Reddy.
