KATHMANDU: Fake brand of small arms, which are exact replicas of the genuine ones, are being increasingly used by perpetrators of crime, including the youngsters, a record at the Nepal Police (NP) showed.

"Small fake brand weapons which are replicas of automatic pistols and revolvers are being used these days in the Valley,” said Bigyan Raj Sharma, deputy spokesperson, NP.

The NP is keenly pursuing these small arms now to secure the Valley against perpetrators of crime, he added. “Our surveillance team had impounded 17 small firearms along with 21 youths within this month from the Valley,” according to Sharma.

Sharma further said, “These fake-branded weapons are coming from the open borders, especially from Khasa in China", said Sharma.

“These fake brand arms are being made in China but they are almost invariably tagged as “Made in USA”, he added.

Each original pistol or revolver originally costs more than Rs 100,000 but the fake ones that are made in China are coming at just Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000, he added.

The NP is searching every discos, guest houses, hotels, lanes, restaurants to take possession of these illegal weapons.

"We have a special cell assigned for this purpose. NP has alerted this cell over the recent development. Our surveillance teams have been expanded for this task.

Meanwhile, an investigation by the Nepal Police has unraveled a mystery behind the manufacture and supplies of “local pistols” used increasingly in the Tarai by various armed outfits.