Nagpur: In two separate operations, Nagpur Crime Branch Unit 5 arrested two men for illegal possession of country-made firearms and live cartridges on Tuesday. Police seized weapons, ammunition, mobile phones, and cash worth over ₹1.26 lakh in total.
First Arrest Near Futala Lake: Accused Found with Pistol and Live Cartridges
Around 1.30 am to 2.50 am on August 20, a Crime Branch Unit 5 team was patrolling in Ambazari police station limits when they received a tip-off. Acting swiftly, they laid a trap near Futala Lake, opposite Hanuman Vyayamshala, and intercepted a suspect.
He identified himself as Pankaj alias Bhalla Bhallaji Atram (44), resident of Old Futala Vasti, Ambazari. A search in the presence of panch witnesses led to the recovery of a country-made firearm with a steel magazine, three live cartridges, and a mobile phone. The total seized material is valued at around ₹63,000.
During questioning, Atram revealed that he had purchased the weapon with the help of wanted accused Shailesh Dhanraj Kadbe from Ramtek, and from two others identified as Vikas Solanki and Shahrukh Rajput. Police said he was carrying the weapon with an intent to commit a serious crime.
Ambazari Police registered a case against Atram under Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act and Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. He was arrested and handed over to Ambazari Police along with the seized material. Further investigation is underway.
Second Arrest in Tehsil Area: Man Caught with Firearm and Cash
Later around 8 am on the same day, another team of Crime Branch Unit 5, acting on reliable information, set up a trap near Timki Dadra Bridge in Tehsil area. They stopped a man matching the description and questioned him.
The suspect was identified as Purushottam Gangadhar Bhagatkar (44), resident of Dadrapul, Tehsil, Nagpur. A search in the presence of panch witnesses led to the seizure of a country-made pistol with magazine, two live cartridges, a mobile phone, and ₹1,500 in cash — collectively worth ₹63,500.
Bhagatkar too was allegedly carrying the weapon with an intention to commit a cognizable offence. Tehsil Police registered a case against him under Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act and Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. He was arrested and handed over to Tehsil Police for further action.
Operation Carried Out Under Senior Officials’ Guidance
Both successful operations were executed under the guidance of Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr Ravinder Kumar Singhal, Joint Commissioner of Police Navin Chand Reddy, Additional CP (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi, DCP (Detection) Rahul Makanikar, and ACP (Crime Branch) Abhijit Patil.
The teams were led by PI Sandeep Buwa and included PSI Rahul Rote, API Rupesh Nanawtkar, Chandrashekhar Gautam, ASI Raju Takalkar, and constables Vishal Nagbhidkar, Devchand Thote, Roshan Tandulkar, and Sudhir Tiwari.
