Uttrakhand, June 24:
In a major crackdown under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s vision of making Uttarakhand crime-free, the Special Task Force (STF) has arrested the alleged mastermind of a fake arms licence racket.
The accused, identified as Sadanand Sharma, was arrested from the Rudrapur area. According to the STF, Sharma was involved in preparing forged arms licences and running an illegal network.
Investigators revealed that nearly ₹1.7 crore was transferred through the accused’s bank account as part of the illegal operation.
SSP STF Ajay Singh said Sharma’s role came to light during the investigation of a case registered in Kashipur. The accused has a criminal history and has previously served jail terms in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur and Ghaziabad in connection with fake arms licence cases. Several serious cases, including under the Gangster Act, are also registered against him.
The STF investigation found that Sharma prepared fake arms licences for several people and manipulated government records to upload them on official online portals, making the forged licences appear genuine. Through this network, multiple illegal arms licences were allegedly issued in Uttarakhand.
So far, the STF has registered three cases in connection with the racket and arrested nine accused. The agency has also recovered 14 illegal firearms, including pump-action guns, rifles, pistols and revolvers, along with 355 live cartridges and several forged arms licences.
