‘263 weapons off the streets’: Gujarat Police step up action against illegal arms in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Aug 30 (IANS) The Ahmedabad City Police have collected 263 sharp and lethal weapons abandoned by citizens across 22 police station areas of Sector-2 after launching an awareness campaign urging people to voluntarily give up knives, swords, daggers and other prohibited weapons.

The initiative, titled ‘Samarpan Se Suraksha’ (Security Through Surrender), was launched under the supervision of Ahmedabad City Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut to prevent bodily offences and assaults involving sharp weapons.

Police used public address systems fitted to vehicles to appeal to residents in identified pockets to surrender such weapons rather than keep them in their possession.

The Sector-2 area covers Zones 4, 5, 6 and 8, comprising 22 police stations.

Police said their assessment of previous bodily offences showed that sharp and lethal weapons, including knives, daggers and swords, were frequently used in such crimes.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Sector-2) Jaipal Singh Rathore said the campaign has started after identifying pockets where such weapon-related crimes had occurred in the past or where there was a possibility of such offences.

“Under the ‘Security Through Surrender’ campaign, the police stations in the Sector-2 area where crimes involving such weapons have occurred in the past or where there is a possibility of such crimes have been identified. For the last two days, an awareness campaign has been conducted in these pockets using public address systems fitted to different city police vehicles,” Rathore added.

He said that citizens had been asked to surrender such weapons voluntarily so that the areas could be made safer.

“I am pleased to inform that so far, across the 22 police stations of Ahmedabad City’s Sector-2 area, the police have collected and taken possession of around 263 sharp weapons. Most of these are weapons such as swords, knives and daggers,” he added.

According to the police, the weapons are not generally handed over directly at police stations. Instead, people placed them at public locations, including outside their neighbourhoods and near dustbins, following the appeal.

“So far, the police have collected 263 weapons from different locations across the 22 police station areas. Most people have placed these weapons outside their neighbourhoods at public places or near dustbins,” Rathore said.

The police said more than 250 weapons had initially been recovered during patrolling, checking and investigation, while the total collected under the campaign had subsequently reached 263 as of August 29.

The police station-wise figures include 11 weapons from Ramol, 27 from Bapunagar, 18 from Narol, 17 each from Gomtipur and Amraiwadi, 19 from Danilimda, 15 from Maninagar, 14 from Khokhra and 13 from Nikol.

Other recoveries were reported from Shahibaug, Airport, Sardarnagar, Naroda, Rakhial, Krishnanagar, Isanpur, Kagadapith, Vatva, Odhav, Dariyapur, Meghaninagar and Vatva GIDC police stations.

The police said a notification under Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act is currently in force in Ahmedabad City.

Possession and carrying of prohibited weapons covered by the notification, as well as their use in crimes, can attract legal action.

Rathore said the police would now conduct deeper combing operations in the identified pockets.

“Ahmedabad City Police, particularly in the Sector-2 area, will carry out very deep combing operations in all the identified pockets in the coming days. If prohibited weapons are found in anyone’s possession, legal action will be taken against them,” he added.

He also appealed to people who may still possess such weapons to surrender them before the proposed operations.

“If anyone still has such weapons which are prohibited and fall under the category of an offence under the notification, they should immediately surrender them to the police,” he said.

Asked whether people who surrender weapons could face cases, Rathore said the weapons collected so far had been abandoned in public places following the police appeal.

“The campaign was intended to prevent the use of sharp weapons in bodily offences and strengthen law and order, rather than to harass citizens. Similar awareness campaigns would continue and further combing operations would be carried out in the identified areas,” he added.

–IANS

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