LUCKNOW: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested an army jawan who was carrying 70 cartridges of an AK-47 rifle and was reportedly planning to sell them to a friend in the Pallavpuram area of Meerut district in western UP.
According to police sources, when the ATS team tried to take him into custody, the army jawan, named Rahul, attempted to escape by dodging the cops. He got into his car and tried to flee by ramming it into the ATS team. However, the officers surrounded him and managed to catch him soon after foiling his attempt.
During questioning, Rahul said that he had come home on leave and was trying to deliver the cartridges to his friend. A case was registered at Pallavpuram police station under sections of the Arms Act. The accused is currently posted at the Army Telecommunication Centre in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
Police, ATS, and army officials are jointly investigating the matter. His mobile phone records are also being checked to find out if more people are involved.
As per ATS sources, Rahul is a resident of Nangli Azad village under Daurala police station limits. He is currently on leave. Meerut ATS unit inspector Amit Kumar Bhati said that on Tuesday, acting on an informer's tip-off, they were conducting checking under the Delhi-Haridwar bypass Modipur post flyover.
During this operation, a Hyundai Venue car was stopped and checked. Inside, 70 restricted cartridges of an AK-47 rifle were recovered from Rahul's possession.
During interrogation, Rahul revealed that he is currently posted as a constable in the Army at the CT Battalion MIC & S Training Centre in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. He said that he came on a 30-day leave on June 9.
ATS sources further said that Rahul disclosed a friend named Abhinav, who he claimed was with the ATS. Abhinav, a resident of Shastri Nagar, had allegedly asked Rahul for the cartridges back in February, saying he had lost his own.
Rahul told investigators that Abhinav had called him at 10:30 pm on Tuesday to meet near A to Z Colony in Pallavpuram. Rahul reportedly reached the location, but Abhinav never showed up.
Rahul also revealed that he had procured the cartridges during his earlier posting in Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that during army operations, he and his team were issued weapons and ammunition, and during that period, he stole some cartridges and brought them to Meerut, hidden in his luggage.
Rahul further claimed that a doctor from Shastri Nagar had introduced him to Abhinav a few months ago, and that he had also bought his car through Abhinav. Contradictorily, ATS sources said that it was based on Abhinav’s input that Rahul was apprehended and the cartridges recovered.
Rahul was recruited into the Army in 2013. The ATS said the recovered cartridges were army-grade and used in military operations. Investigators are now trying to determine who the cartridges were meant for, who uses such restricted ammunition, and whether there is a wider network involved.
Authorities are also probing Rahul’s contacts and movements since he came on leave. According to Daurala Circle Officer PC Agarwal, a man named Rahul was arrested with cartridges. A case has been filed under the Arms Act and he has been sent to jail.