VARANASI, July 30 -- Following a physical verification of arms licences held by slain gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari and individuals associated with his IS-191 gang, which exposed serious irregularities, police registered five cases at two police stations in Ghazipur district.

Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari has been named in three of the five cases, for allegedly making the files related to issued licences disappear, which made physical verification of their current status impossible, police said on Wednesday.

Vaibhav Krishna, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Varanasi Range, stated that the investigation followed a three-phase physical verification process. The audit covered 43 individuals including five members of the Ansari fam...