MEERUT, April 27 -- In a major crackdown, Meerut police unearthed an illegal arms manufacturing unit operating from a hidden basement of a house in Alipur under Lohiyanagar area here on Sunday. Eleven accused were arrested, produced before the court, and sent to jail the same day, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Avinash Pandey on Monday.

A total of 11 pistols, along with 12 magazines and other manufacturing equipment, were recovered from their possession, he added.

The SSP stated that the SWAT and surveillance teams received intelligence about an arms trafficking gang operating from a rented house in Alipur. Acting on the tip-off, police raided the premises, and found a secret passage hidden beneath a bed, leading to a baseme...