A middle-aged man was held by police in Assam's Bilasipara for possession of an unlicensed firearm in the Dhubri district, reports claimed on Tuesday.

Amid a spurt in similar cases with the elections looming, local authorities have expressed concern of the pressing issue. The police said that they had specific information based on which an operation was conducted at Dhemdhema village under Bilasipara subdivision of the Dhubri district in Assam.

The officials said that the operation was carried out late last night during which the man was detained with a pistol and five rounds of live bullets. The ammunition seized were 7.65 mm, they said adding that a car was also seized from his possession.

The accused in the matter was identified by the police as Hafizuddin Sheikh. His Hyundai Santro with registration number AS 16 D 9138 was seized by the officials.

The police further informed that the man was a resident of Fakirgram which falls under the Kokrajhar district. Meanwhile, the police are trying to establish whether the detained individual is a petty criminal or a dreaded militant as he had no previous mention in police records. The investigation in the matter is underway.