MP: Four held with fake gun licences procured from Nagaland

Police in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam have arrested four persons for allegedly possessing fake countrywide licenses to keep guns, an officer said on Tuesday.

During investigation, police found that these licenses were procured from far away Nagaland.

While two of the five licenses were found to be issued in name of persons other than those who were actually possessing them, no record was found regarding the rest.

Police stumbled upon the scam during Lok Sabha polls when authorities had directed firearm licensees to deposit their weapons, said Ratlam superintendent of police Gaurav Tiwari.

"It was found that five persons with a criminal record were holding countrywide licenses for firearms, which were issued from far off Nagaland. These licenses were issued in the name of Jeevan Singh Rathore, Rajendra Tank, Kamruddin Ali, Mukesh Prajapat and Avinendra Singh Bhati," he said.

Alarmed by the exposure, an SIT was constituted which travelled to Nagaland's Zunheboto district to investigate the matter.

"The probe revealed that the licenses shown to be issued in the names of Rathore and Bhati were already issued to other persons in the Northeastern state. No record was found regarding the licenses submitted by Tank, Ali and Prajapat," the SP said.

Tank, Ali and Prajapat disclosed to police that they had gone to Nagaland to procure the gun licenses while Rathore said he had obtained it from Bhati.

"Investigations revealed that these persons have used illegal means to procure the fake licenses which they used for keeping firearms with them," the SP said.

While Tank, Ali, Prajapt and Bhati were arrested, Rathore is on the run, he added.