Asad Ahmed encounter: What weapons were recovered from Atique Ahmed's slain son?

Atiq Ahmed's son Asad was killed in an encounter in Jhansi on April 13 by the Uttar Pradesh STF and sophisticated weapons were discovered from the wanted gangster. According to the UP STF, they recovered two pistols from Asad Ahmed and his associate Ghulam who was also killed in the encounter after being intercepted by the officers. An official statement by the Police revealed that the two were carrying one British Bulldog Revolver .455 bore and Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol. 

#WATCH | Former MP Atiq Ahmed's son Asad, aide killed in an encounter by UP STF in Jhansi

Visuals from the encounter site pic.twitter.com/kL3fUrr7S7

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 13, 2023

Specialties of the recovered weapons

The British Bulldog revolver was made by  P. Webley & Son of London & Birmingham and introduced in 1872. According to American Rifleman, it was one of the most popular revolvers right from its introduction until it went obsolete after 1914 i.e after World War 1. 

The 'ergonomic' revolver's popularity was due to its grip and large trigger head. Available in three variants-- the .44 Webley, .450 C.F., and .455 Webley-- the revolver had a bold recoil and was named Bulldog for its loud 'bark' from its  2½-inch barrel. Now considered an antique gun, it allows five shots per round. 

(A Walther P88 recovered by UP STF; Image: Republic)

The second weapon, the Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol is Walther’s last metal-framed service handgun and it originated in Germany. Designed for the army, it was first issued in 1939 and several other variants such as P99 and P88 Compact were introduced subsequently. The short recoil-operated pistol has a 102 mm barrel in the P88 variant and a 97 mm barrel in the P88 Compact. The standard version is said to have a 15-round detachable box magazine along with better balance, something which added to its popularity. 

Weapons might have been smuggled

It is possible that the weapons recovered from Asad and his associate were smuggled into India. In the remand copy accessed by Republic, the UP police revealed that Atiq Ahmed had links to Pakistan's ISI and used to smuggle weapons into India through the Punjab border using drones. Currently under 5-day remand for the Umesh Pal murder case, he will be interrogated by the police to find out if he has a cache of weapons possibly hidden somewhere.