In a significant midnight operation, the Powai Police arrested a 23-year-old man on Saturday, December 20 for allegedly attempting to sell illegal firearms. The police recovered two country-made pistols and six live cartridges from the possessions of arrested accused.
The Operation
The incident unfolded late Saturday night, December 20, when the Powai Police Station’s Crime Detection Team was out on patrol. Acting on a specific tip-off from a confidential informant, detection officer, Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Ganesh Avhad learned that an individual would be arriving in the Powai Lake area to deliver illegal weapons.
Taking the information seriously, a team led by PSI Avhad moved quickly. To avoid exposure, the team swapped their uniforms for civilian clothes and set up a tactical trap near the Powai Lake View Garden, close to Mejwani Restaurant.
The Arrest
At approximately 1:00 AM, the police spotted a young man acting suspiciously in the area. The man, carrying a backpack, appeared visibly nervous when he noticed the presence of several men in the vicinity. As he attempted to move away, the undercover team surrounded and detained him.
The suspect was identified as Pradeep Santosh Singh (23), a resident of Haryana. During a search of his bag in the presence of witnesses, officers found two iron (country-made) pistols hidden carefully between layers of clothing. Additionally, a plastic bag containing six live 7.65 mm cartridges was recovered.
Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Sonawane confirmed that, the total value of the seized items – including the firearms, the ammunition, and a Samsung mobile phone is valued at roughly Rs. 1,22,500.
“During the preliminary interrogation, Singh confessed that he had traveled from Haryana to Mumbai specifically to sell these weapons. He did not possess any legal license for the firearms,” told Police Inspector (Crime) Sushant Bandgar.
The Powai police have registered a case against Singh under Section 3, 25 of the Indian Arms Act along with Section 37(1)(a), 135 of the Mumbai Police Act and arrested him. On being produced in court, the accused was remanded to police custody until Tuesday, December 23.
The operation was carried out by a team led by Police Inspector (Crime) Sushant Bandgar, under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone X) Datta Nalawade, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Sakinaka Division) Pradeep Mairale and Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Sonawane. The team included Police Sub-Inspector Ganesh Avhad, Police Constables Chavan, Suranar, Police Shipai Warang, Rathod and Shirsat.
The police are now shifting their focus to the broader network, investigating where the accused sourced the weapons in Haryana and identifying the intended buyers in Mumbai.
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