SP MLA's kin booked for forging arms licence

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested the brother-in-law of Samajwadi Party MLA Abhay Singh from Ayodhya's Gosainganj Assembly seat, from his house under Vibhuti Khand police circle for procuring illegal weapons on the basis of forged arms licence issued from Nagaland.

The STF officials said the police team had recovered a factory-made rifle and a pistol along with a forged arms licence booklet from the possession of Sandeep Singh a.k.a. Pappu Singh.

The STF official confirmed that Sandeep Singh is the brother of the SP MLA's wife. He was operating several construction firms and two sweets shops in Lucknow's Aliganj and Gomti Nagar extension areas, the official said.

According to a press release issued by the STF, Sandeep has around nine criminal cases against him.

"During inquiry, the Nagaland authorities report confirmed that they had not issued any firearms licence to Sandeep Singh and there were no documents related to licence transfer from Nagaland to Uttar Pradesh. He had presented the forged licence before the Ayodhya district magistrate concealing his criminal background," a senior STF official said.

The official said it was also found during the inquiry that Sandeep Singh never visited Nagaland and he had deposited his both licences of rifle and pistol at Nanda Gun House on Latouche Road in Lucknow during the civic polls.

He said the police came to know about it while checking credentials of firearms licence holders in the city.

He said an FIR under IPC sections 419, 420, 467, 468, and 471, and under different sections of the Arms Act has been lodged against Sandeep Singh.
—IANS