RPF seizes illegal arms, drugs during anti-smuggling drives

Under the drive, the force nabbed 17 persons and recovered one AK 47 rifle, one pipe gun, one double barrel gun, one pistol, 6 country-made pistols, 3 daggers, 10 pieces of 12 bore ammunition, 140 pieces of .315 bullet, 404 pieces of 7.62 mm bullets and 9 pieces of different calibre ammunition across the network last month.

New Delhi: The railway authorities have seized illegal arms and ammunition, including an AK 47 rifle, and illegal drugs worth Rs 9.97 crore as part of a drive to curb the activities of smugglers and anti-nationals on the network.

“Arms, ammunition, and explosives are sometimes transported by forces inimical to the nation in order to commit crime or realize nefarious design in different parts of the country. RPF has been conducting intensive checks in stations, trains and railway areas to thwart the design of such elements,” said a senior railway official on Wednesday.

“Railways is the life line of the nation and RPF, being the sentinels on the rail, will leave no stone unturned to keep it safe and not allow it to be used for nefarious activities,” he said. According to officials, the Railway Protection Force took action against such violators and seized drugs, arms and ammunition and unaccounted gold and silver worth crores last month as part of Operation Satark during April.

Under the drive, the force nabbed 17 persons and recovered one AK 47 rifle, one pipe gun, one double barrel gun, one pistol, 6 country-made pistols, 3 daggers, 10 pieces of 12 bore ammunition, 140 pieces of .315 bullet, 404 pieces of 7.62 mm bullets and 9 pieces of different calibre ammunition across the network last month. As part of the drive to curb drug smuggling, the force recovered narcotic products valued at more than Rs 9.97 Crore and arrested 245 persons till March this year.

Further, the railway authorities are also concerned that the country’s primary transporter is likely to be used by tax evaders, smugglers, gun runners, and forces inimical to the nation to transport illegal items to different parts of the country for acting on their nefarious designs. Keeping this in mind, the RPF was tasked to launch a special drive to take action against the transport of illicit liquor, illegal tobacco products, unaccounted gold, cash, precious items and any other items through the railway network for the purpose of tax evasion, smuggling, commission of crime and acts of terror.

As many as 26 cases of transportation of illegal tobacco products were detected, tobacco products worth more than Rs 44 Lakh were seized and 14 persons were arrested. Also, 177 cases of transportation of illicit liquor were intercepted, illicit liquor worth about Rs 18 Lakh was seized and 97 persons were arrested. The force detected 23 cases of tax evasion and handed over unaccounted cash, gold and silver worth about Rs 2.60 Crore to the respective tax authorities in April. The force also seized smuggled items worth about Rs 3.18 Crore during the same period.