Following the case of a firing incident at Kothrud, Pune Police have seized as many as 400 cartridges from the residence of an accomplice of notorious gangster Nilesh Ghaywal. Out of these, 200 are live cartridges, while the remaining 200 had already been used, and police have recovered empty bullets during the investigation.
The arrested accused has been identified as Ajay Mahdev Sarode, a key member of the Ghaywal gang. According to police, during the interrogation, it was found that the seized cartridges indicate that the accused had been practising firing in the Lonavala area.
What was the case?
On 17 September, members of the gang opened fire on a man in the Shastrinagar area of Kothrud jurisdiction. Following the incident, a case was registered at the Kothrud Police Station, and accordingly police arrested Ajay Mahadev Sarode, a key gang member. The case has since been brought under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), adding serious legal implications for Ghaywal and his associates.
Further investigation revealed that Nilesh Ghaywal obtained a passport using forged documents and fled to London. After that, Pune Police had initiated communication with the British High Commission regarding his extradition, and a Red Corner Notice was issued to secure his custody.
Sarode was interrogated by the Police, and after that, acting on it, a search operation was conducted in his house, where 400 cartridges were found. Sambhaji Kadam, speaking to Free Press Journal, said, “We have recovered 200 live cartridges and 200 empty shells from the accused’s residence. The bullets were issued from the Kharadi Ammunition factory. Sarode had a gun license on behave of which he had taken the bullets.”
In the inquiry, it was found that Sarode used to practice in his village to create terror and fear among the residents. However, the matter is under investigation and soon other involved persons will be in jail.
