Homemade pistols smuggled into city from Madhya Pradesh for just Rs 20–25,000

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Within 12 hours of a city shooting, Babasaheb Misal (30) of Bhokardan tehsil was arrested red-handed by the district police’s anti-terrorism unit while attempting to sell a homemade pistol and live cartridges. One pistol and three live cartridges were seized. Police later recovered another pistol from Rais Khan Pathan (42), a resident of Husain Colony, Pundliknagar, to whom Misal had sold a weapon a few days earlier.

The action followed the January 20 firing incident in Mukundwadi, where notorious criminal Shubham Jat fired twice, challenging the police. Acting on intelligence that a smuggler from Jalna was coming to sell a pistol, the ATC team, under the directions of Police Superintendent Dr Vinaykumar Rathod, laid a trap in Hirapur. Assistant Police Inspector Dinkar Gore and his team apprehended Misal as he arrived on a motorcycle and took him to Chikalthana police station.

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Pundliknagar criminal link surfaces again

During interrogation, Misal admitted to supplying a pistol to Rais Pathan, who was subsequently arrested from his residence. Both accused were produced before the court by police sub-inspector Srinivas Dhule on Tuesday and were remanded to two days’ police custody.

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Purchased for just Rs 20–25,000

Investigations revealed that Misal has been involved in pistol smuggling for several years and was earlier arrested by Shirpur police in Dhule. He sourced steel pistols from Madhya Pradesh for Rs 20–25,000 and sold them in Marathwada for Rs 35–40,000, frequently changing mobile numbers to evade police tracking.