Chain snatchings to extortion: Criminals rely on dummy guns to strike fear in AP

Visakhapatnam: Criminals are increasingly using dummy firearms to carry out their nefarious activities in parts of Andhra Pradesh. Some rowdy-sheeters and few property offenders are using toy guns or air pistols for extortion, robberies, threats, and others. They are purchasing the dummy firearms either online or offline.

Vizag City Task Force police arrested five persons, including two rowdy sheeters, Dhoni Satish and P Gowri Sai. Police also seized 25 kgs of dry ganja, six mobile phones, a dummy pistol, and a knife from them at Anandapuram in Vizag city. Police also seized seven bikes from the gang, which had been involved in the illegal activities.

In another incident, 30-year-old R Adinarayana alias Ashok, who has been involved in a series of chain snatchings in Vizag city, used a dummy pistol to target women. Recently, Youngster MV Balaji created a flutter with a dummy pistol in a cine theatre in the East Godavari district. He went to the cine theatre to watch a newly released movie with the dummy gun and created a nuisance in the theatre.

Assistant Commissioner of Police ( Task Force), Vizag, A Trinda Rao said a host of reasons prompts the offenders to choose dummy pistols. "Toy weapons can inspire the same kind of fear in victims that real firearms do. Sometimes, the dummy guns are used as a backup to a real firearm as it comes at only a fraction of the cost of the real gun. The offenders know that with a dummy gun, he won't be able to kill someone, even if the situation turns ugly and he won't be tried under the Arms Act," he said. A senior police officer said that dummy guns are be purchased from any toy shop, or online. They look as good as real and the victims didn't suspect that they were being threatened with a dummy gun, he added.

Though there was no exact data on the use of dummy guns in crimes, police said that use could be more prevalent.