Visakhapatnam: Vizag is slowly emerging as the capital for illegal firearms in Andhra Pradesh, because of the flourishing ganja trade, fake currency business and gang wars. The recent seizure of eight firearms from inter-state gangs and ganja smugglers in Vizag city has revealed that ganja traders procure a large number of weapons to dominate the market by intimidation, to eliminate their rivals, and to commit robberies.

Illegal weapons that have been manufactured in West Bengal and Bihar have found their way to criminal groups in Vizag, parts of East Godavari and along the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB). The highly profitable marijuana trade and fake currency business in Vizag seems to be getting more dangerous, with gangs wielding weapons. Ganja is grown over 10,000 acres of land in Vizag, East Godavari, and along the AOB and the turnover exceeds Rs 3,000 crore.

DCP (Law and Order) Naveen Gulati said that smugglers in the region were using illegal fire-arms to dominate the ganja trade by threatening rivals. He said that the smugglers paid large amounts of money to procure guns from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Sources in the police said that the Vizag police had not issued gun licences to private persons for years, as threat perception was low. In all, 753 persons in the city are legally permitted to possess weapons, and a total of 968 licenced firearms have been enrolled in Visakhapat-nam.