A gun and bullets were left near the entrance of a church.
The weapon was found on Elmsworth Avenue, Levenshulme, near to the steps of Levenshulme Baptist Church.
The discovery was made at 6.30am on Saturday January 2nd.
The firearm – a Retay handgun – was in a black carrier bag with ammunition and was found by a member of the public in the area at the time.
Detective Constable Martha Walker of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “We extend our thanks to the gentleman who discovered the firearm and handed it in to police – it is thanks to him that we have been able to remove this potentially lethal weapon from our streets.
“This was left on a residential street so we’re appealing to anyone in the area who may have witnessed anyone behaving suspiciously or carrying a black bag recently to speak with police. Any information, no matter how small, could greatly assist our investigation.
“There is absolutely no place for weapons such as this across Greater Manchester and we want to ensure that the owner is identified.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 6063 quoting incident number 764 of 02/01/21.
Alternatively, details can be passed on anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
