PUNE, 23 NOV. In a significant operation against organized crime, the Pune Police have busted a major inter-state racket involved in the illegal supply of weapons, leading to the apprehension of 36 suspects. The operation saw Pune Police dismantle four illegal pistol manufacturing factories operating in the Umarti village of Madhya Pradesh. The action was carried out with full cooperation from the Madhya Pradesh Police. This crucial investigation into organized crime was spearheaded by a joint special team comprising officers from Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Zone-4, and the Crime Branch.
Police Joint Commissioner, Ranjan Kumar Sharma, provided details of the operation during a press conference. He explained that the investigation stemmed from a combing operation related to a case registered at the Airport Police Station in Pune. During that operation, 11 weapons were seized from one accused, in addition to 4 weapons seized in a prior case registered at the Kalepadal Police Station, bringing the total recovery across various police stations to 21 pistols. Subsequent investigation into these cases revealed that the weapons were being supplied from Madhya Pradesh.
It was revealed that illegal weapons were being manufactured on a massive scale and trafficked across states from Umarti village in the Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh. Based on this intelligence, a Pune Police team, led by DCP (Zone-4) Somay Munde, raided the factories early on Saturday morning with the assistance of the MP Police. Joint Commissioner Ranjan Kumar confirmed that 36 suspects involved in the illegal manufacture of firearms were taken into custody.
The massive operation involved a team of 105 Pune Police personnel, including the Quick Response Team (QRT) and the Crime Branch. A large quantity of weapons and manufacturing materials were seized. Furthermore, 50 furnaces used for the molding and construction of the illegal firearms were destroyed on the spot. Sophisticated materials used for loading the weapons were also recovered.
Initial interrogation of the suspects and technical evidence revealed that weapons were being manufactured and trafficked on a large scale under the brand name 'Umarti Sikligar Arms'. The entire illegal arms sales racket was being run from Umarti village, where the weapons were illegally prepared, supplied, and trafficked across state lines. Police confirmed that the investigation into the entire supply chain of illegal weapons is ongoing to identify the final recipients of the firearms. They also noted that advanced technical support, including mobile surveillance vehicles, temporary wireless networks, Bulletproof (BP) jackets, and body-worn cameras, along with a significant supply of weapons and ammunition for the officers, was utilized during this specialized operation.
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"The suspects have been apprehended, and their intensive interrogation is underway. We are investigating whether they have any criminal records, and if so, how serious they are. Furthermore, we are probing if there is any connection between these individuals and the recent murders that occurred in Pune over the past few days." — Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Joint Commissioner of Police, Pune City.
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