Madhya Pradesh police Wednesday rounded up a retired employee of the Army's Central Ordnance Depot (COD) here for allegedly supplying spare parts of weapons to a man who was recently caught with an AK 47 rifle in Bihar.
Superintendent of Police Amit Singh said police suspect that the former armourer was in contact with some working as well as retired COD personnel involved in illicit arms business. "We have picked up Purshottam Lal, a retired armourer (repairer of weapons) of the COD. We are questioning him after his name cropped up during the interrogation of Imran Alam, from whose possession AK 47 rifles were recovered in Bihar," Singh added.
The SP said Lal retired from the COD in 2008. However, Singh declined to reveal the modus operandi of the accused saying it would negatively impact the probe.
The police suspect that the retired employee of the COD used to supply spare parts of junked weapons to Imran and other persons involved in illegal gun manufacturing and smuggling, sources in the police department said.
The COD junks the arms after they are of no use to the Indian Army. Such scrap is officially auctioned, they added.