LARKANA, June 27: A discovery that government weapons are being sold to criminals has led to the arrest of a head constable, Amir Bakhsh Junejo of Keti Mumtaz police station.

Mr Junejo was booked on charges of promising to sell a G-3 rifle to an outlaw, Imamuddin Veesar, for Rs100,000, with a down payment of Rs 70,000.

Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya, the SSP of Larkana, told Dawn on Wednesday: “We learnt only last month that government weapons are being sold to criminals after police found a G-3 rifle during a raid on a house at Vessar village, near Ratodero.

“The matter is being investigated and orders have been given to all concerned to take stock of weapons issued to policemen but not deposited back.”

Policemen are given weapons before being sent on duty. They are required to return them after completion of the assignment.

The SSP said notices had been sent to constables to return government-owned weapons soon after the investigation began, but in vain.

He also revealed that the weapons register contained bogus entries _ a “weapon issued to ‘A’ was shown as given to ‘B’’. “The involvement of clerks cannot be ruled out,” the SSP said.

More than 50 weapons, ranging from pistol to G-3 rifles, were yet to be recovered, the SSP said.

The investigation has sent shivers down the spine of policemen, particularly those still in possession of weapons, sources said.

The inquiry is likely to take a month.