A large cache of weapons, cartridges, and illegal weapon-making tools were seized in Lucknow, just a day before Muharram. The weapons were recovered from the house of Hakim Salahuddin alias Lala in Mirzaganj, Malihabad, which is approximately 100 meters away from the police station. During a raid at his residence, the police recovered as many as 300 firearms and 50,000 cartridges.
Along with the weapons, tools used to manufacture them were also seized. The raid was carried out under heavy security, and the area within a 20-meter radius of the house was completely cordoned off. As people started gathering near the house, the police removed all those present inside and took them in for questioning.
On Thursday, June 26, acting on intelligence, a police raid was conducted which resulted in recovering bags of cartridges and hundreds of complete and semi-finished weapons. A security force has been deployed around the area and an STF team is probing the matter. The police are in search of the associates of Salahuddin, and the accused is currently being interrogated and has been kept in custody, said Jitendra Dubey, ADCP.
Running weapon factory in house
The police said that they received information about the illegal supply of cartridges and weapons from Salahuddin’s house. Following this, teams from Malihabad, Rahimabad, and Mall police stations conducted a raid late Thursday evening. During the raid, Salahuddin, a youth named Owais, his wife, and his daughter were present in the house.
Further investigation uncovered that the illegal arms trade was taking place from his house. Huge quantities of weapons and cartridges, gunpowder, weapon-making materials, animal skin, and several other objectionable items were discovered from his house.
As Muharram is approaching, the probe and police teams have become more alert. Along with the weapons, the police also found body parts and skins of protected animals at his residence. This has raised suspicions of Salahuddin’s involvement in wildlife trafficking as well.
20 bags of cartridges and 300 weapons recovered
As per police sources, 20 bags have been found which contained about fifty thousand cartridges from Salahuddin’s house. Around 300 illegal weapons of 315 and 312 bore have been found. Apart from these, illegal items like rifles, Mausers, and pistols were also discovered. So far, the investigation has revealed that these items were manufactured at his home only. Foreign made weapons were also found from his house.
Salahuddin previously used to run a doctor’s clinic near the Malihabad post office. His wife was a government teacher, and one of his daughters is in Norway for study purposes. His other child is pursuing a B.Tech degree.
According to police sources, Salahuddin had been supplying illegal weapons across Uttar Pradesh for a long days. Since his house was next to the police station, nobody grew suspicious. Even the police had no clue about it.
