Jaipur: Firearm-related crime in Rajasthan nearly halved between 2022 and 2025, according to police data, though gun deaths rose in 2025 despite an overall decline in firearm offences.Data compiled by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) showed registered firearm cases fell from 504 in 2022 to 397 in 2023, 301 in 2024 and 261 in 2025. The number of people injured also declined from 326 in 2022 to 294 in 2023, 195 in 2024 and 185 in 2025.Firearm-related deaths dropped overall from 56 in 2022 to 37 in 2025. However, fatalities increased from 32 in 2024 to 37 in 2025, even as registered firearm cases fell by 13.3% during the same period.Senior police officers attributed the decline in firearm crime to an aggressive crackdown on organised criminal gangs and their networks across the state.Police said the AGTF works closely with district police whenever a gang-related incident is reported to identify suspects and dismantle criminal networks. Active gang members are kept under continuous surveillance through human intelligence, field inputs and monitoring of social media activity.Authorities have also invoked Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with organised crime, to strengthen legal action against gang members and their associates.ADG (Crime) Dinesh MN told TOI that close coordination between the AGTF and district police has been a key factor in reducing firearm-related offences.“The AGTF keeps a tight vigil on gangs involved in criminal activities and their many aides,” he said.Police said the focus has also shifted to preventing recruitment into organised crime syndicates, particularly those linked to Rohit Godara and Lawrence Bishnoi, by identifying and tracking potential recruits before they become active members.Officials added that the AGTF has been conducting regular raids on gang hideouts while targeting the financial networks that sustain organised crime.“One of the major reasons we have seen a decline in these figures is because we have gone after the financial backing of these gangs,” a senior police officer said.Despite the overall fall in firearm offences, the rise in fatalities in 2025 suggests that while such incidents have become less frequent, they have turned more deadly.
