Imported ammo seized from Pinda, shooters under scanner

Aman Sood

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 7

Some of the top Indian shooters vying for a spot in the Indian team are under scanner. A large number of cartridges “meant for shooters participating in shooting events” were recently recovered from a gangster arrested in the Nabha jailbreak case last week. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has warned of a “life ban” if any shooter is found guilty of passing on or selling his ammunition.

Over 250 such .12-bore cartridges meant for shotgun events were recovered by the Uttar Pradesh police when they arrested one of the gangsters allegedly involved in the jailbreak case. Initial probe reveals that on November 27, when 14 armed men attacked the Nabha prison, they fired as many as 200 rounds and a majority of them were fired from shotguns.

On the evening of November 27, the UP police recovered four rifles, 444 cartridges of .12, .32, .38 and .315 bore, a self-loading rifle, a spring field gun, pistol and two walkie-talkie sets from Palwinder Pinda — a gangster involved in the Nabha shooting. “As many as 250 of these cartridges are those usually imported by Indian shooters, once they excel in the sport and enter the renowned shot category,” they said.

“We have come to know from reliable sources within the NRAI that only a few top shooters imported these particular cartridges in the past two seasons. These are used only for sports events,” said a senior police officer attached with investigation.

Patiala SSP Gurmeet Chauhan said, “It is a serious issue as imported for sports, these can be used to shoot people.”