Illegal arms manufaturing unit found, 5 held

The police claimed to have unearthed an illegal arms manufacturing factory making country-made pistols and arrested five persons in this connection ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the Special Operations Group (SOG) kept a close vigil near Navagam bus station yesterday and intercepted a bootlegger Manharsinh Ratubha Jadeja, the police said, adding a live cartridge and a country-made pistol was seized from him.
The police also arrested Sindha Koli yesterday from Jasdan town from whom the bootlegger had purchased the weapon, the police said.
Koli's interrogation led the police to raid a farm near Sardhar town on the city outskirts.

The police found four country-made revolvers and two live cartridges. The farm owner Mansukh Patel and his accomplice Praful Bavaji were arrested this morning, the police said.
The two told the police that they gave five country-made pistols to one Dolubha Vala, who was also arrested, the police said.