Illegal arms found at Pocso convict’s house in Banphoolpura

Nainital: Uttarakhand police on Tuesday recovered a number of illegal firearms and ammunition from the house of a 60-year-old Pocso convict in Banphoolpura's Gaujajali North area, triggering concern among residents.Nainital SSP Manjunath TC said accused Mobin Khan was reported by his own family members, who alleged he frequently engaged in violent arguments and suspected he had kept illegal arms at home. "Acting on the input, police raided his house and seized a .315 bore country-made pistol with two live cartridges, a 12 bore country-made pistol with five live cartridges, one 7.62 bore live cartridge, and 10 live cartridges of 7.65 bore," the SSP said. Khan was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act and will be produced before a competent court.Police said Khan, a former education department employee, had earlier been convicted in a Pocso case and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment by a trial court in 2023. He later challenged the conviction and is currently out on bail pending proceedings in the high court. He was suspended from service in 2023 in connection with the case. The FIR against him was registered in 2017 under charges of assault, kidnapping, criminal intimidation, and provisions of the Pocso Act.Investigators are now trying to trace the source of the weapons and examining all aspects related to the recovery. Police have urged residents to remain alert and report suspicious activity.The recovery comes days ahead of the Supreme Court's expected verdict on Feb 24 in the long-running railway land encroachment case, with local residents saying that the presence of weapons caused unease in the neighbourhood at a sensitive time.The apex court's upcoming verdict will determine the future of nearly 5,000 people living on about 29 acres of alleged encroached railway land in Banphoolpura. The matter has been under litigation for years, with the SC earlier staying HC's eviction orders. Ahead of the last hearing in Dec 2025, extensive security arrangements were put in place across Haldwani amid concerns over possible fallout if eviction was ordered. Police had also detained several persons for allegedly "planning to spoil the situation", and maintained heightened vigil in sensitive areas.