Six people arrested as police busts firearm licenses racket

The city police claimed to have bust a major racket after the arrest of seven people as well as seizure of 31 firearms worth over Rs 40 lakh, besides 27 fake arms licenses, it was officially announced here today.
Addressing a press conference here today evening, Thane city Joint Police Commissioner V V Lakshmi Narayana said that the seizure include 11 rifles, eight pistols, and 12 revolvers, of which six pistols were of foreign make.
He said that the police had arrested one Nidaan Singh Santokh Singh (45) of Mira Road in connection with an offence falling under Sections 3 and Section 25 of the Arms Act.

Interrogation of the arrested revealed that he possessed several licences for arms issued in Punjab, he said.
A probe revealed that he is one of the main gang members who dealt in arranging fake arms licences and he had already arranged for around 45 such fake arms licences in the Mumbai and Thane region, he said.
Based on these fake licences issued in Punjab, beneficiaries had purchased arms, he said.

Six people were arrested by the Naupada police and offences were registered under Section 420, Section 465, Section 468, Section 471 and Section 474 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, besides Section 3 as well as Section 25 of the Arms Act of 1951, he said.

Those arrested have been identified as Vishwanath Raghav Shetty, Mudsingh Budsingh Rajput, Sujansingh Gumansingh Rajput, Paramvirsingh Saitansingh Solanki, Gajendra Karnasingh Bhati and Santoshsingh Jaiprakash Singh, he said.
He said that the Nidaan Singh was arrested on July 8, while the other six were arrested today by the police and all were from Thane district.
The gang charged anywhere between Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh depending on the make of the firearm, he said.