Visakhapatnam: Vizag is slowly emerging as the capital for illegal firearms in Andhra Pradesh, thanks to the flourishing ganja trade, fake currency business and gang wars.
The recent seizure of eight firearms from inter-state gangs and ganja smugglers in Vizag city has exposed that large number of weapons were being procured by ganja traders in a bid to dominate the trade and eliminate their rivals besides commit robberies.
Illegal weapons manufactured in West Bengal and Bihar have found their way to criminal groups in Vizag, parts of East Godavari and also in Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) areas.
The much-profitable illegal marijuana trade and fake currency business in Vizag region se-ems to be getting murkier by the day as smuggling gangs are now found to be wielding weapons.
DCP (law and order) Naveen Gulati said as ganja trade has turned much profitable for smugglers in the region, few gangs have been trying to dominate the ganja smuggling by producing illegal firearms to threaten their rival gangs and others.
The smugglers were ready to spend good amount to procure the guns from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, he added.
Sources in the police said Vizag cops had stopped issuing gun licence to private persons for years.
