Chennai: While OCIU (Organized Crime Investigation Unit) managed to nab one more suspect in the illegal fire arm seizure case, security experts have expressed their aversion towards the return of illegal fire arms culture in the state.
Preliminary investigation suggested that the gang could have peddled more fire arms like the one — .22 mm pistol, recovered from the trio arrested on Sunday, in a trap set by OCIU sleuths. The arrested trio were identified as Mohan Raj of Vyasarpadi, Rajesh Kumar of Ramapuram and Sabarirajan of Chinna Porur while the other one held on Monday was Murugan, sibling of Mohan Raj.
Initially, the trio claimed they had procured the weapon from one Nagai Arif, who later turned out to be a fictitious person, and were looking for potential buyers.
Interrogations revealed that Sabari Rajan, working in a private bank, had taken them to West Bengal where they purchased the pistol for Rs 60,000. They had brought the weapon, which had the finish resembling the ones produced by an advanced ordnance factory.
The office of Cooperatives Minister and Madurai West MLA, Sellur K. Raju, located at Sammattipuram, came under attack on Jan. 9 while an unsuccessful crude bomb attack was made on AIADMK office at Mathichiyam, in Madurai.
A week prior to that, Madurai witnessed another crude bomb attack near the Meenakshi Amman Temple, a high security area.
In Chennai, a country-bomb packed with commercial explosives was recovered from the facade of a school at Bhathavachalam Colony, Vyasarpadi, on Jan 8.
The BDDS (Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad) ascertained improvements made over the kind, which they had recovered from the terrace of the Regional Meteorological Centre on College Road during November.
On September 6 last year, a city-based advocate Kamesh, was killed by his client using an illegal firearm. “Even as the model code of conduct is in place, the trio managed to sneak the weapon into the city and was carrying it along. This has to be viewed seriously by the State machinery”, said a security expert, requesting anonymity.
