Gangsters in UP use banned Turkish Zigana pistols worth Rs 6 lakh; here’s why

NEW DELHI: The source of the Turkish-made Zigana F semi-automatic pistols used by the assailants to kill former MP Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in UP will be crucial in the investigation.

The gun which is banned in India, can be loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition and it costs over Rs 6 lakh. The killers, Lovelesh Tiwari, Mohit Singh and Arun Maurya, surrendered after the murder.

The pistol, manufactured by TISAS, a Turkish gun manufacturer, has been banned in India but is widely used by goonda gangs. They are lightweight and easier to hold. It doesn't overheat or misfire like the countrymade pistols that are common in UP. It fires smoothly and the entire magazine can be emptied out without a glitch.

Zigana was used by sharpshooter Anshu Dixit to kill Muqeem Kala and Merajuddin in the Chitrakoot Jail shootout in 2021. Punjab police had seized 48 foreign-made pistols including 19 Ziganas from an arms smuggler allegedly having links with Pakistan-based terrorist outfits in 2021.