4 Of Arms Manufacturing Gang Arrested In Noida Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls: Cops

Four members of an arms-manufacturing gang have been arrested here and firearms along with equipment used for making pistols seized ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Noida Police said on Monday.

Noida falls in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar parliamentary constituency where polling will be held on April 26 in the second phase of the seven-phase general elections. The accused were apprehended on Sunday evening when their car was stopped for checking at the Kheda Chauganpur roundabout, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Suniti said.

"They were arrested by a team of officials of the local Ecotech-3 police station and the Crime Detection Team during the checking, in accordance with guidelines issued by higher authorities in view of the Lok Sabha elections," she told reporters.

Shahfahad Ahmed (34), Badal (24), Shivampal Singh (27) and Sadiq (32) have been arrested, Suniti said.

Police said Shahfahad, a resident of Ghaziabad, who headed the gang, holds a diploma in mechanical engineering from a private college in the district.

Nine pistols -- one from each of them and five kept in the car's boot -- were seized along with some ammunition, they said and added that material and tools for manufacturing pistols were also seized from the vehicle.

Police said an FIR was lodged at the Ecotech-3 police station against the accused and they were sent to to jail after being produced before a local court.

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