PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 15 -- A state-level volleyball player, having represented Lucknow, was arrested late on Monday night by Kohandaur police at the Chheeda border in Pratapgarh for allegedly smuggling illegal firearms. The accused was caught while he was on his way to Pratapgarh to get the malfunctioning weapons repaired and to sell them, police said. Addressing media persons on Tuesday at the Police Lines, additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shailendra Lal said that a police team was conducting routine checks late on Monday night near an under-construction toll plaza on the Prayagraj-Ayodhya Highway at the Pratapgarh-Amethi district border. At around 10.30 pm, officers spotted a man walking from the direction of Amethi. When they shone a flashlight on him, the man tried to flee but was quickly apprehended by the police. Upon searching a cloth bag in his possession, police recovered one pistol, two country-made revolvers (.315 bore), one revolver (.32 bore), and three live cartridges. During interrogation, the accused identified himself as Ravindra Mishra alias Happy Mishra, a resident of Gaana Misir-Ka-Purwa, Gosaiganj police station, Sultanpur district. He confessed that he was transporting the defective firearms to Pratapgarh for repairs before selling them. He revealed that he had purchased the weapons from Sultanpur, and was planning to sell them for Rs.5,000 (country-made pistol), Rs.10,000 (revolver), and Rs.45,000 (pistol), the ASP shared. Police officials confirmed that the accused has played volleyball at the state level representing Lucknow. Investigations are underway to determine how the athlete became involved in arms smuggling. Authorities are also working to identify the source of the weapons and the individual or network responsible for repairing them....