Small-time criminals 'gunning' for big

PUNE: The seizure of six country-made revolvers from a gang of dacoits on April 3 has once against brought into sharp focus the increasing use of firearms by small-time criminals in the city.
Police officials told TNN that the city''s crime scene had undergone a drastic change in the last two decades and today, even burglars were found carrying firearms.
"Previously, dacoits and robbers never had firearms, but the situation has changed so much today, that we can''t take chances even with small burglars," they said.
Police records show a sharp rise in the number of crimes committed using firearms and the number of firearms confiscated.
In 2001, firearms were used in 14 crimes, while the number of crimes in which firearms were used increased to 18 in 2002.
Eight such crimes have already taken place this year, including the murder of BJP corporator Satish Misal, the dacoity at a jewellery shop in Bhosari, where gold ornaments worth around Rs 12 lakh were stolen, and the attack on a police officer by notorious criminal Robert Salve at Sus.
Additional commissioner of police (crime) Rajendra Sonavane admitted to the growing use of firearms by small criminals. "Yes, there is an upward trend in the use of firearms, although the situation is not alarming," he said, attributing the arrest of the gang of dacoits last week and the high rate of firearms confiscation to a special drive launched by the police against illegal arms.
While in 2001, 26 illegal firearms, including 18 country-made revolvers, were confiscated, in 2002, the number of firearms seized increased to 27, included 23 country-made revolvers. This year, 16 firearms, including 12 country-made revolvers, have been seized to date.
A senior crime branch officer said, "It''s an open secret that manufacturing of firearms has become a cottage industry in certain districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh and the crudest form of country-made revolvers, popularly known as kattas, are available at Rs 400 each and fine-make revolvers do not cost more than Rs 3,000."
He said, "As Mumbai''s capacity to provide shelter and employment has almost exhausted, many labourers from these states are coming to Pune in search of jobs and along with them, criminals possessing firearms are also taking refuge in the city."
Luckily, no evidence of these criminals establishing links with local criminals and selling them firearms had come up so far, he added.