Pune: A suspected member of fugitive gangster Nilesh Ghaywal's gang obtained a firearm licence and used it to purchase 400 rounds from an ammunition factory in Pune, prompting the police to launch a probe into it, an official said.
The police arrested the gangster's aide, Ajay Saravade, on Monday for his alleged role in an incident that occurred in the Kothrud area of Maharashtra's Pune city a few months back, in which alleged members of the Ghaywal gang shot at a man.
Ghaywal has fled the country and is currently suspected to be in the UK.
"Saravade was arrested along with another accomplice of Ghaywal from Karnataka. During the house search of Saravade in Kothrud, 400 rounds, both used and unused, were found," Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 3) Sambhaji Kadam said on Wednesday.
Evidence points to Saravade providing some of these bullets to Ghaywal for target practice, he said.
"Our findings suggest that 150 of these bullets were given to Ghaywal for training exercises conducted at his hometown in Ahilyanagar district earlier this year," Kadam said.
It also came to light that Saravade had procured the arms licence by forging his residential proof documents.
"The same permit was used to procure 400 bullets from an outlet of the Ammunition Factory, Khadki (AFK), which is open for civilians," he said.
Ghaywal has more than 25 cases registered against him, including 10 lodged since September 17 this year, when his associates allegedly shot at a man.
Authorities have also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) for Ghaywal and secured a Blue Corner Notice through Interpol.
The Ghaywal gang is allegedly involved in several serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder and extortion, police said.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)
