In a significant move to mark the completion of 100 days of Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led government, Mumbai Police disposed of 8,761 illegal firearms and weapons, turning them into scrap.
According to police sources, the seized arsenal included country-made pistols, revolvers, foreign-made pistols, swords, knives, sickles, daggers, choppers, kukris, and even empty hand grenade shells. These weapons were systematically dismantled and the extracted metal was sold as scrap.
A senior police official informed that all these weapons were linked to various criminal cases over the years. Once their legal use was exhausted and the court permissions were secured, the police floated a tender for their safe disposal. The weapons were cut down, and the recovered iron was sold at scrap rates.
As per official data, the weapons disposed of were seized between 2002 and 2024. Between 2002 and 2014 alone, a total of 6,619 firearms were dismantled, yielding around 1,600 kilograms of scrap iron. From 2015 to 2024, another 2,143 firearms and assorted weapons were cut, resulting in approximately 1,930 kilograms of metal, which was also sold as scrap.
The move is being seen as part of the police department’s ongoing efforts to maintain law and order and ensure that seized illegal weapons are safely destroyed and recycled.