Pune Gangland: Four Gang Members Arrested for Illegal Firearms Possession; Police Recover Arms Cache
By India Crime Correspondent
PUNE, January 19, 2010
The Pune Police’s crime branch has taken into custody four known gang members on charges of possessing six country-made pistols and a stash of 30 live cartridges. The suspects, identified as Maya alias Gaus Dastagir Shaikh and Hasan Ramzan Shaikh from Gultekdi, as well as Mukesh Ashok Salunke and Rakesh Pratap Chavan of Raviwar Peth, have all had previous run-ins with the law.
Links to Dreaded Gang
Salunke and Chavan have affiliations with the feared Ghisadi gang and had reportedly ordered firearms from an illegal arms dealer known as Badal alias Pavan Jamnadas Soni.
Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch operatives swiftly apprehended Maya and Salunke near Dhondiraj Mangal Karyalay in Kalewadi on Sunday, recovering three pistols and 15 cartridges from them.
Unveiling a Network
Further investigation unveiled that Soni and Maya had previously facilitated firearm transactions involving Hasan and Rakesh.
On Monday, the crime branch apprehended the latter duo, seizing one pistol and five cartridges from Hasan, and two pistols with ten cartridges from Rakesh.
Charges Under the Arms Act
The four gang members have been slapped with multiple charges under the Arms Act.
The complaint for this case was filed at the Sangvi police station. Efforts are underway to locate Soni, who is alleged to have procured firearms from Uttar Pradesh before distributing them to criminals in Pune.
Dedicated Investigative Team
The investigative efforts are being led by a dedicated team, which includes police inspector Mohan Vidhate, assistant sub-inspector Gunga Jagtap, and several police personnel including constables, naiks, and havaldars.
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