Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Dhar police claimed to have busted an inter-state weapon smuggling module with the arrest of six arms suppliers involved in large-scale illegal manufacturing and supply in various states.
Following the directives of SP Manoj Kumar Singh, an operation 'Prahaar' was launched to take strict action against active gangs involved in illegal arms and related activities.
Under this campaign, police in association with cyber cell, arrested habitual criminal Punam Chand Lodhi for possessing weapons and 15 live cartridges. The accused has been already booked in 15 serious crimes.
During questioning, the accused told police that he brought weapons from Surjeet Bhatia. Following the information, the police conducted a raid and arrested Surjeet and busted an illegal arms factory at Singhana village with weapons worth Rs 4 lakh.
During further probe, police revealed that Lodhi had been supplying illegal arms to Akshay Athawale (Maharashtra) which later led to the arrest of habitual criminals Athawale and Sachin Rathore with possession of arms. Akshay is already booked in 17 cases in Maharashtra.
On April 10, police raided house of inter-state criminal Pawan Singh Bhatia, another key figure in the network, was apprehended. The police also seized additional firearms from his residence.
With this arrest, many probable crime incidents have been foiled. The accused Pawan is already booked in 12 cases in MP, three in Rajasthan, two in Delhi and one in Gujarat.
Further, police claimed to have busted an illegal arms factory being run at house of Nanu Singh at Lalbaugh and seized six pistols, live cartridges and manufacturing materials. According to the police, the accused smuggled the weapons to local gangs and miscreants.
So far, police have seized 16 illegal country-made pistols and arms manufacturing material with five arrests.
During the investigation of backward and forward linkages, it has come to the fore that the recovered weapon was part of a consignment, supplied by interstate weapon manufacturers and suppliers, police said.
