Thane Police have seized 17 country-made pistols, 12 live cartridges and 31 magazines from two men hailing from Madhya Pradesh, a senior officer said. The accused duo, arrested on June 1, hails from Burhanpur. Police have stepped up vigil in view of the rise in the incidents of the use of firearms in crime in Thane, Mumbai, and Navi Mumbai over the last few months.
Police had received information that these illegal weapons were supplied from some areas in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shivraj Patil. A team of Thane police, comprising officials of the property cell, arrested two men on June 1 and seized three country-made pistols, six magazines, and four cartridges from them.
The duo led the police to Pachore-Dhunki area on the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, where 14 more pistols, 25 magazines and 8 live cartridges were seized, the police officer said. Police are investigating whether firearms were smuggled earlier also in Maharashtra from other states and used in crimes.