Garhwal Post Bureau
Haldwani, 17 Feb: A shocking development has surfaced once again from Banbhoolpura, one of the most communally sensitive areas of Haldwani city in Nainital district. During the ongoing ‘Operation Crackdown’ and verification drive, the police recovered two country‑made pistols and 17 illegal cartridges from the house of a dismissed employee of the Education Department. The 60‑year‑old man, identified as Mobin Khan, has been arrested and booked under the Arms Act. He was later produced before the court while police continue their investigation.
Acting on the directives of the Nainital SSP, intensive checking and verification campaigns are underway across the district. Banbhoolpura police achieved a major success when, acting on a tip‑off, they raided a house and seized two pistols along with 17 live cartridges. The accused, identified as Mobin Khan, a 60‑year‑old dismissed employee of the Education Department, was taken into custody.
According to police, late last evening the team received information that a man in Gauzajali North area was keeping illegal firearms at his residence and often threatened his family members. Acting swiftly, the police reached the spot and apprehended Mobin Khan, a resident near Ayesha Masjid.
The subsequent search of the house in the presence of family members left the police stunned. The recovery included one .315 bore pistol, two cartridges of .315 bore, one 12 bore pistol, four cartridges of 12 bore, one cartridge of 7.62 bore used in AK‑47 rifles, and ten cartridges of 7.65 bore kept in a box.
Police have registered a fresh case under Sections 3/25 and 7/25(1‑K) of the Arms Act and arrested the accused. He is being produced before the court. Investigations revealed that Mobin Khan had earlier been booked under serious charges including POCSO at Mukani police station, where he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. The matter is currently under appeal before the High Court. The source of the recovered arms is now under probe.
Nainital SSP Dr Manjunath TC shared that the verification campaign is being carried out across the district on the orders of the Chief Minister and the DGP. Late last evening, the police achieved a significant success when they raided the house of convicted criminal Mobin Khan who had previously been dismissed from the Education Department. Illegal arms and cartridges were recovered from his possession. In 2017, he was booked under the POCSO Act and convicted by the court. Manjunath further shared that Khan is presently on bail pending appeal before the High Court. The SSP added that under ‘Operation Crackdown’, the technical team will interrogate him further to ascertain how he procured such a large cache of illegal arms and for what purpose.
