Just a few days after Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter, Atiq and his brother Ashraf were gunned down. This was while they were being escorted by the UP police for medical tests. Both the gangsters were gunned down by assailants who used the Turkish firearm, Zigana pistol
Zigana pistols are produced in Turkey. They have a locked-slide short recoil operating mechanism with a modified browning-type locking system and are in limited use by several security companies in Turkey, as well as by some Turkish military units.
The Zigana M16 was the original version of the pistol, with a short under barrel dust cover on the frame, and 126 mm (5") barrel
As per reports, the Zigana pistol used to kill Atiq might be illegally imported from Pakistan. It has been reported that local workshops in the neighbouring country manufacture and sell Zigana illegally. But these are priced much lower than those manufactured in Turkey
The Zigana pistol was also used to kill Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022. He was shot at point-blank range, a day after the Punjab police removed his security cover. The probe suggested that Lawrence Bishnoi had orchestrated that killing. The Zigana F (automatic) and a Girsan 9MM parabellum (Regard MC) pistol were used to kill the 28-year-old Punjab singer
The Zigana pistols are banned in India. As per reports, they might have been smuggled into the country. The price of these pistols is around Rs 6 lakh to 7 lakh
Zigana is imported by American Tactical Imports in the United States and marketed under the FS9 and FS40 names. In addition, the Zigana K and Zigana F models are licensed under the name of Zəfər, Zəfər-K and Inam by the Ministry of Defense Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Zigana pistols are used by:-
- US Coast Guard
- Malaysian Army
- Azerbaijani Armed Forces
- Philippine National Police
Zigana is produced by TISAS, KOSGEB (Small and Medium Industry Development Organization) and MKE (Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation) coordinated company
Source: Turkish Defence Ministry Catalogue
Established in 1993 in Trabzon, TISAS is a Turkish firearm manufacturing company, mainly focused on manufacturing pistols. Its firearms are used worldwide by civilians, police and the military. It produces the Zigana pistols, infantry rifles and other defence arms. As per its official site, TISAS produces a range of Zigana 9mm firearms such as Zigana Sports, Zigana FC, Zigana KC and more