Vehicle inspector, two held for possessing arms

HYDERABAD: Three persons including two GHMC employees were arrested by the Task Force police on Monday for possessing weapons illegally and one sophisticated pistol, three live bullets, three empty cartridges, one air pistol, one Scorpio vehicle and two daggers were seized from their possession. Task Force police, on a tip off, arrested the trio at Rythu Bazaar, Falaknuma, while they were moving in a Scorpio vehicle. Police said, on of the the arrested was identified as Yousuf Khan, a vehicle inspector in MCH Parking Yard, Malakpet. He is a resident of Mustafa Nagar, Jahanuma. The other two were Haji Khan, a contract driver in MCH, Malakpet division and a  resident of Osmanbagh, Kamatipura, and Mohammed Rasheed  Ahmed, a resident of Pahadisharif in Ranga Reddy district. Task Force deputy commissioner of police Ramchander said that Yousuf has been the general secretary of the APMCH Employees and Workers Union since 1994. Yousuf started to keep a firearm with him since he developed a rivalry with the other members of the union. Haji Khan was known to Yousuf since a long time. After Yousuf asked Haji to procure a fire arm, the latter approached Rasheed Khan and introduced him to Yousuf.  While staying in Gulbarga, Rasheed had close contacts with one Rahul Sharma of Uttar Pradesh, who procures weapons. On the request of Yousuf, Rasheed consulted Rahul, who promised to arrange a short fire arm for Rs 25,000. ``In December last year, Yousuf , Haji and Rasheed went to Gulbarga and purchased an air pistol and two daggers from Rahul. In January this year, the trio also collected one country made pistol with six live bullets from Rahul ,’’ the DCP added. Procurement and possession of illegal fire arms is an offence and are punishable under the Section 25 of Arms Act and for which one may attract a jail term of three years to seven years, the DCP said.