Pune: College Student Arrested For Supplying Pistols To Criminals, Crime Branch Recovers Three Pistols
Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 11th March 2021: The officials from the anti-extortion cell-2 of Pune City Police Crime Branch have seized three country-made pistols from the possession of a youth who came to Pune for higher studies from Jalgaon.
Police said that he used to procure pistols from Madhya Pradesh and sold them to criminals in Pune. The cops have arrested three more persons whom he had sold the weapons and have seized five more pistols from them.
Acting on a tip-off received by policeman Sachin Ahiwale, the Crime Branch team nabbed Bhushan Mahesh Marathe (23), a resident of Arun Nagar in Chopda taluka of Jalgaon district, near the Pune railway station and recovered three country-made pistols and six live cartridges. An FIR was registered against him at Bundgarden police station.
Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta said, “During the investigation, we learnt that the accused Marathe bought weapons from Madhya Pradesh (MP) and sold them here. Based on his information, we have arrested three more persons and seized five pistols and nine live cartridges from their possession.”
According to police officials, the MP border is about 40 km from Marathe’s place in Jalgaon. He would frequent arms dealers there and bought pistols for about Rs 12,000 and sold them here for Rs 30,000 to 50,000 based on the quality of the weapon. He has completed a diploma in printing and currently studies BA at a college here.
Based on information from Marathe, police have arrested Rahul Chandrakant Pawar (26) of Nasrapur in Bhor taluka, Toufik Gulab Shaikh (25) of Kamgar Putla slum in Shivajinagar and Ram Goroba Jadhav (35) of Dandekar Pul area. Police have seized two pistols and three cartridges from Pawar, one pistol and three cartridges from Shaikh and one pistol and two cartridges from Jadhav.
DCP (Crime Branch) Shriniwas Ghadge said, “We have seized eight pistols and 15 cartridges, totally worth Rs 4.3 lakh from the four arrested persons. One more person has been identified and he will be arrested soon. We are investigating if the accused are part of any organised inter-state gang of arms smugglers.”
The action was taken under the guidance of Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, Joint Commissioner Ravindra Shisve, Additional CP Ashok Morale, DCP Ghadge and ACP Laxman Borate.
The team included Senior Police Inspector Balaji Pandhare, PSI Vijay Zanjad, Shrikant Chavan and police personnel Sampat Awchare, Pradip Shitole, Vinod Salunke, Sachin Ahiwale, Surendra Jagdale, Vijay Gurav, Rahul Uttarkar, Sangram Shingare, Pradip Gade, Amol Pilane, Bhushan Shelar, Shailesh Surve, Mohan Yelpalle, Rupali Karnwar and Asha Kolekar.
