Three Held in Ghazipur With 38 Firearms Smuggled From Madhya Pradesh

Ghazipur's Special Weapons and Tactics team and Kotwali police arrested three men early Thursday and recovered 38 firearms after intercepting them near Kaithwalia culvert, superintendent of police Iraj Raja said.

The tip reached police that smugglers were moving a large illegal weapons consignment for delivery in the district. Around 1:45 am, SWAT and Kotwali teams cordoned the Kaithwalia stretch under Kotwali. Three men on a motorcycle tried to flee when officers moved in, police said, but were caught before they could clear the culvert zone.

A search yielded 18 pistols of .32 bore with magazines, one 9 mm pistol, and 19 country-made .315 bore firearms, along with cartridges, three mobile phones, Rs 900 in cash and a sports motorcycle. The arrested men were identified as Ratan Vishwakarma and Ravi Kumar, both 19 and residents of Bhadaura under Gahmar police station, and Abhishek Kumar, 20, of Phulli under Dildarnagar.

During questioning, police said, the three allegedly admitted carrying weapons brought from the Khandwa and Burhanpur belt of Madhya Pradesh for delivery in Ghazipur. That account is an interrogation claim under investigation; guilt or innocence is for the court. Officers are still working to identify suppliers and intended buyers named in follow-up questioning.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh has seen repeated interstate arms cases in which country-made and factory-pattern pistols move along road corridors from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Thursday's haul is large by a single motorcycle stop: 38 weapons in one interception leaves little room, police argue, to treat the ride as personal carriage of one or two pieces.

Kaithwalia sits on a night route that links rural pockets of Ghazipur with the district town. Tip-led checks in that belt often depend on local informants and quick cordons rather than long vehicle chases. In this case the public version from the SP's office does not claim a prolonged shootout; it describes an attempted flight, a catch, and a heavy recovery from the motorcycle and the men.

The case will turn on the seizure memos, ballistic and make details of each weapon, call records from the three phones, and whatever supply chain the accused point to under further remand. Investigators will also test whether the sports bike was used only for this run or for earlier trips. No other accused has been named in the first public briefing.

Families of the three and any counsel they engage will see the sections invoked as the file moves through court. For residents of Bhadaura, Phulli and the Kotwali circle, the immediate verified facts are simpler: three local young men in custody, 38 firearms off the road, and a continuing hunt for the Madhya Pradesh-side links police say the interrogation has opened.