A large number of arms licences issued from other States are posing a security risk to Millennium City as more and more residents pay an arm and a leg to procure a gun licence.
The number of such permits has been on the ascent at an alarming frequency. Gurgaon Police claimed that residents have been getting permits for bearing arms from North Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir. Sources in Gurgaon Police said anyone can gain a permit for bearing arms by coughing up anywhere between Rs 80,000 and Rs 2 lakh.
While expressing helplessness, a senior police official said a recent crackdown by district administration and city police unearthed 600 such gun licences. It was stated that in view of the Assembly elections in neighbouring Rajasthan and Delhi, the district administration has been put on alert since these licensees do not register with the administration.
“Generally, these licences are procured from other States by subterfuge. It has become par for the course for people allied with business, politics to have an all-India permit, particularly from States like Manipur and Nagaland, when they are unable to secure licence from Delhi or Haryana. Such permits are not registered with the administration and local police are clueless,” sources said.
last month, 18 licences issued from Kangpokpi, Kohima and Dimapur, were confiscated in Sonepat. “The process of obtaining arms licence is considered easier in N-E States and permits issued there are valid all over the country contrary to provisions of other States like Haryana. The permits issued in Haryana are valid only in a few neighbouring States,” he said.
The Joint Commissioner of Gurgaon Police, Maheshwar Dayal, said recently, a case at DlF area came to light wherein a four-year-old girl was shot dead by a security guard with a fake gun permit issued in Jammu & Kashmir. “We had earlier run a special drive to uncover fake arms licence with the assistance of senior persons of city security agencies and Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs) and scrutinised 600 such licences of security guards issued from other States,” he said.
Dayal added that a total of 72 licences were made from January to September 30, 2013 by the Gurgaon Police licence Department and in 2012, a total of 126 licences were issued. “It is surprising that residents of the city are holding licence issued from Kangpokpi and Dimapur instead of having the same permit issued from their home State,” Dayal said.