Five, including woman, held in Ranchi; Pakistan-made pistols seized
Ranchi: In a major crackdown, Ranchi Police arrested five suspected gang members, including a woman, and seized three Pakistan-made pistols along with cash, ammunition and vehicles, officials said on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off, police detained four men near Chutu overbridge under the BIT Mesra police station area, while the woman was arrested from Argora.
According to police, all five are associated with the Koylanchal Shanti Sena (KSS) gang and have links with the Prince Khan gang. The arrested woman has been identified as Riya Sinha, wife of KSS leader Sujeet Sinha.
During the raid, police recovered three Pakistan-made pistols, seven magazines, 13 cartridges, six mobile phones, a four-wheeler, and Rs 10 lakh in cash.
The four men were identified as Inamul Haq alias Bablu Khan, his bodyguard Ravi Anand alias Singha and Mohammad Shaheed alias Afreedi Khan and Mohammad Seraj, both relatives of Haq. All of them have criminal records, police confirmed.
City SP Paras Rana said the arrests are linked to an earlier firing incident in Tupudana, for which KSS had claimed responsibility. During the probe, police found that KSS leader Sujeet Sinha has been in direct contact with gangster Prince Khan, who currently operates from the UAE.
“Interrogation revealed that arms and ammunition were being smuggled from Pakistan via drones through Punjab, supplied by Sinha and Khan. These weapons were used to threaten and extort businessmen in Ranchi and other parts of India,” the SP said.
Police further said that Inamul Haq and his associates collected money in Ranchi on behalf of Sujeet Sinha and Prince Khan. The extorted money was routed through UAE to Pakistan to finance the illegal arms trade and other criminal activities.
Riya Sinha was also found to be involved in coordinating arms supplies in Ranchi, and a non-bailable warrant was already issued against her. She has been booked at Ormanjhi Police Station and will be produced in court soon, police said.
Investigations have confirmed that the seized weapons were of Pakistani origin, and some women from Punjab were reportedly involved in delivering the arms to Ranchi. The name of the Pakistani supplier has also surfaced and a deeper probe is underway.
Officials added that 10 criminal cases are already registered against Inamul Haq across various police stations in Ranchi.
(with agency inputs)
