Maharashtra: Pune police arrests 3, seizes 7 pistols, 24 live cartridges

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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, reported news agency ANI.

The team seized a total of seven illegal pistols and 24 live cartridges, with an estimated value of Rs 3.62 lakh, reported ANI.

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, reported ANI.

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," reported ANI.

Further investigation led to the seizure of three additional pistols and nine live cartridges at Kudekar's residence, reported ANI.

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, reported ANI.

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, reported ANI.

Meanwhile, in a tragic incident, eight people died in a road accident when a pickup van collided with an auto-rickshaw on Kalyan Nashik highway in Pune district on Sunday night, reported PTI.

A senior official from Pune Rural Police said, "8 people died in a road accident on Kalyan Nashik highway near Otur village in Junnar Taluka of Pune district. The incident occurred last night after a collision took place between a pickup van and a passenger auto rickshaw on the highway," reported PTI.

The official further said that three passengers who were travelling in the autorickshaw died while five in the pick-up van also died on the spot, reported PTI. The police are conducting a probe.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)