Mainpuri police issues notice to 12 youths for flaunting arms on social media

AGRA: Mainpuri police has issued notices to around 12 youths for flaunting arms on social media in violation of the Arms Act. Photographs of these youths brandishing rifles and guns are being circulated on social media . The notices have been issued to verify if the weapons belong to them and if they possess licence for the arms that they are flaunting in the photos.

Confirming the move, superintendent of police, Mainpuri, Ajay Shankar Rai, said, “The aim behind this is to stop this trend on social media as arms are for protection and not for flaunting. This is a violation of the Arms Act.” He said he has given a three-day notice to them to verify the details of their licence and if they fail to do so, strict action will be taken against them.

“In case the weapon is found to be licenced, then the licence will be cancelled as it is a violation of the Act,” said the SP, adding that it does not matter whether the licenced weapon belongs to the person who’s flaunting it. He added that if the weapon is illegally kept, police will book the accused under relevant sections of IPC.

He told TOI that the police have received a lot of photographs from local residents regarding youths misusing their licenced weapons to assert their dominance or create fear in society. It has been noticed that people holding licenced weapons use it for celebratory firing, which is banned in the state. Not only this, they sometimes brandish it over trivial issues to show their power.

Rai said Arun Kumar, whose picture with two semi-rifles had gone viral on social media, was caught with narcotics by Mainpuri police on Wednesday night. He said when a police hailed Arun Kumar to stop during vehicle checking on Etawah-Karhal-Mainpuri-Safai bypass crossing, he along with his accomplices opened fire and tried to flee.

However, he was arrested with three other accomplices and two illegal weapons along with live cartridges were seized from them. Around 250 gram of narcotics were also seized from them. Arun hails from Badhai, under Safai police station in Etawah .