TheRampuri (रामपूरी चाकू) is an Indianpocket knife with a single-edged blade typically 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm) long, with shorter variants also made. This includes bothswitchblade knives and also step-lock types.[1][2] The name Rampuri comes from the town ofRampur, Uttar Pradesh. The royalbladesmiths of the localNawabs of Rampur started making knives after the popularization offirearms after the 18th century.[citation needed]
The Rampuri is still in use today as a criminal weapon[3] by the localIndian mafia, although locally made guns and sophisticated automatic pistols have largely taken their place. However, in the mid-1990s, theGovernment of Uttar Pradesh banned making such knives longer than 4.5 inches (11 cm) in blade length, which led to a drop in popularity of the knife.[4]
The knife was often featured inBollywood crime thrillers in the 1960s and 1970s.[4]
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