Pune police arrests 3, seizes 7 pistols, 24 live cartridges
Pune, Maharashtra: Pune police's detection branch has apprehended three individuals, including two history-sheeter criminals from the Kondhwa area and a firearms supplier from Madhya Pradesh.
The team seized a total of seven illegal pistols and 24 live cartridges, with an estimated value of Rs 3.62 lakh.
Led by Senior Police Inspector Santosh Sonwane of Kondhwa Police Station, the detection branch team conducted a thorough combing operation as part of a citywide crackdown on illegal firearm possessions.
According to Santhosh Sonwane the Senior Police Inspector of Kondhwa Police station of Pune City police "Acting on information from a confidential source, the detection branch's officer identified two individuals frequently seen near Yevlewadi area with holstered pistols. On December 14, the police laid a trap in the market area and successfully apprehended the suspects, the duo identified as Sandesh alias Sanjay Ankush Jadhav and Shivaji alias Shiva Bhau Kudekar. Both individuals, with prior criminal records, were found in possession of illegal firearms, leading to their arrest and the filing of a case at Kondhwa police station."
Further investigation led to the seizure of three additional pistols and nine live cartridges at Kudekar's residence.
During the interrogation, one of the accused, Kudekar, revealed that the firearms were obtained from Omkar Barnala in Madhya Pradesh, leading to the apprehension of his associate, Rahul Nan Singh Lingwale, in Jalgaon district. However, Barnala managed to escape.
In the combined operation, police confiscated in total seven pistols and 24 live cartridges from three accused and registered the case at Kondhwa Police Station in the relevant section of the IPC and Arms Act for further probe.
