Mizo shooting team official held with ammunition
Source: Hueiyen News Service

New Delhi, January 27, 2011: The manager of the Mizoram shooting team was arrested at New Delhi railway station on Wednesday while leaving the capital with four shooters after the National Shooting Championship.

Rohming Liama was arrested under the Arms Act for carrying ammunition illegally.

A joint team of RPF, GRP and crime branch arrested him after he was stopped near the door-frame metal detector at the main entrance.

"He was entering the platform but refused to keep his bag in the X-Ray scanner.

He also refused to hand it over," an officer said.

The baggage contained 1,020 rounds of .22 bore cartridges.

Their suspicion aroused, the security personnel detained him and checked the bag from which 1020 rounds of .22 bore sophisticated cartridges were recovered.

The accused was produced in court which sent him to judicial custody.

"When we asked him to provide us with the necessary National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) cash memo and licence documents, he failed to do so.

The other shooters were later allowed to proceed to Guwahati," said a senior crime branch officer.

Sources in the Railways however said the shooters too were questioned and allowed to leave only after the security agencies cleared them.

Northern Railway made alternative arrangements for them.

The IB, special cell and the special branch of Delhi Police have been informed about the arrest.

NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia told TOI he was clueless about the development.

"As far as we are concerned, we have not provided any .22 bore cartridges.

We are yet to recognize the Mizoram shooting association.

Their shooters had expressed their desire to compete here and we gave them four slots after they qualified by participating in a zonal event in Guwahati.

It is indeed sad that the sport which is bringing laurels for the country is receiving a bad name even when the shooters gave their best in the just-concluded championship," he lamented.

The team had arrived in the capital on January 10 and competed in the event that took place from January 14 to January 24 at Karni Singh shooting range near Tughlaqabad.

The team was taking the Rajdhani to Guwahati.

Sources in the crime branch said Liama has claimed to be a manager with the Mizoram Rifles Club too.

"He claimed he had bought the cartridges on behalf of his association from a Manipur Rifle Association member.

So far, we have found all documents of the Manipur contingent to be in order.

We are investigating the sequence of events and verifying his claims," said a senior crime branch officer.

Bhatia said they had issued cash memos to the Manipur team contingent when they produced the association's licence and those of the individual shooters.

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