Pune: Kondhwa Police Seize 7 Pistols And 24 Bullets; Three Persons Arrested Including Weapon Supplier From Madhya Pradesh

Mubarak Ansari
Kondhwa, 19th December 2023: The officials from Kondhwa police station’s detection branch have arrested three persons, two criminals on police record and a weapon supplier from Madhya Pradesh. The team has seized seven illegal pistols and 24 live cartridges, totally worth Rs 3.62 lakh.

Under the leadership of Senior Police Inspector Santosh Sonwane, the detection branch (DB) team, headed by Assistant Police Inspector Dinesh Patil, executed a comprehensive combing operation. The initiative was part of the citywide crackdown on individuals unlawfully carrying firearms.

During the operation, information from a confidential informant led the detection branch’s Vishal Memane to two individuals seen frequenting Garwa Hotel at the foot of Bopdev Ghat with pistols holstered. Acting on a tip received on December 14, the police laid a trap at Garwa Hotel. Upon the suspects’ arrival, they were swiftly nabbed and identified as Sandesh alias Sanjay Ankush Jadhav (32) of Chikhli and Shivaji alias Shiva Bhau Kudekar (34) of Vashere in Khed taluka.

Inspector Sonwane said, “Upon searching the suspects, one pistol each was found on their waists, along with live cartridges in their pockets. Interrogation revealed that the duo lacked licenses for the firearms and claimed to carry them for self-defence. Jadhav and Kudekar have criminal records, with charges ranging from attempted robbery to murder, prompting the police to register a case against them at Kondhwa police station for possession of illegal firearms.”

API Patil added, “Further investigation led the police to Kudekar’s residence, where three additional pistols and nine live cartridges were concealed. During interrogation, Kudekar disclosed that the firearms were procured from Omkar Barnala in Madhya Pradesh. A subsequent operation to apprehend Barnala resulted in the arrest of his accomplice Rahul NanSingh Lingwale, but Barnala managed to escape. His accomplice was caught in Jalgaon district where they were called to deliver the firearms.”

The combined efforts of the police team led to the confiscation of seven pistols valued at Rs 3.5 lakh and 24 live cartridges worth Rs 12,000. API Dinesh Patil is spearheading the ongoing investigation.

The successful operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Retesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (East Region) Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) R Raja, ACP (Wanwadi Division) Shahuraje Salve, and Senior Police Inspector Santosh Sonwane, in-charge of Kondhwa Police Station.

The team included Police Inspector (Crime) Sandeep Bhosale, Police Inspector (Crime) Sanjay Mogle, API Dinesh Patil, and police personnel Vishal Memane, Satish Chavan, Nilesh Desai, Lavesh Shinde, Shahid Sheikh, Laxman Holkar, Santosh Bansude, Sujit Madan, Dnyaneshwar Bhosle and Suraj Shukla.