Man held with rifle, live cartridges, tiger hide

Jaipur: A 64-year-old man was arrested Friday after police uncovered an illegal rifle, hundreds of live cartridges and a tiger hide from his residence in Ramganj, pointing to a suspected nexus between arms trafficking and wildlife smuggling.Deputy commissioner of police (North) Karan Sharma identified the accused as Mohammad Zaheeruddin, who allegedly ran a licensed shop, Shikar Gun Store, as a front while dealing in illegal weapons and ammunition. Sharma said the arrest followed a tip-off from ATS, triggering a coordinated search operation across multiple locations on Thursday.Acting on the intelligence, teams led by ACP Aditya Puniya and SHO Subhash Chand Yadav raided Zaheeruddin's house in Mohalla Bisayatiyan. During the search, officers recovered an illegal .22 LR rifle, a staggering 282 live cartridges of various prohibited bores, and an old tiger skin.Investigators believe the accused used his licensed gun shop in Manak Chowk as a cover to procure and supply illegal arms, raising concerns over how regulated businesses can be exploited for criminal networks. The presence of a tiger hide has further deepened suspicions of a larger interstate wildlife smuggling racket.Police have registered an FIR under the Arms Act, along with multiple provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Officials said the accused is being intensively interrogated to trace the supply chain — both of illegal weapons and the protected wildlife article.Sources indicated that investigators are now probing possible links to organised syndicates operating beyond Rajasthan.