| Pune gangs sourced weapons from MP village, say police | | | PUNE, Nov 23: Pune police on Sunday said gangs operating in the city sourced weapons from Umarti village in Madhya Pradesh, where they busted a major inter-state illegal arms manufacturing and trafficking racket.
The police launched a crackdown in Umarti village in Barwani district, located around 500 km from Pune, detaining 36 persons and seizing a huge cache of weapons. In the operation, carried out jointly with the MP police, 50 furnaces, where weapons were being manufactured illegally, were destroyed.
Speaking to reporters, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, "Fifteen days ago, we had decided to destroy places where pistols were manufactured and factories from where weapons were supplied to Pune and other parts of the state. We had information that the people of Umarti also supported the illegal manufacturing of arms, and there was a threat of retaliation from them. But we were fully prepared."
The accused will be charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in various cases, he said.
"Investigations have revealed that gangs operating in Pune procured weapons from Umarti, which is infamous for illegal arms manufacturing. It was also found that the pistol used to gun down gangster Sharad Mohol was sourced from the village. Several gangs from Pune have links to the village and action will be taken against them as well," Kumar said.
He further said that police personnel involved in the operation will receive a reward of Rs 10,000 for their performance in the action. |
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