The Crime Branch has arrested a 23-year-old youth with two country-made pistols and four live cartridges from Jogeshwari East. The accused, identified as Rohit Ramganesh Yadav, is a resident of Basti district in Uttar Pradesh. The police suspect his links with an interstate illegal arms syndicate.
According to officials, Unit-10 of the Crime Branch received a tip-off that a man would be arriving in the Jogeshwari area with illegal weapons. Acting on the information, a trap was laid near Datt Mandir in the JVLR area of Jogeshwari East. A suspicious youth was spotted loitering in the area, and when questioned, he gave evasive answers.
Upon frisking and checking his bag, the police found two country-made pistols and four live cartridges in his possession. He was immediately detained and handed over to Meghwadi Police Station. A case has been registered against him under the Arms Act, and further investigation has been handed over to the Crime Branch.
The accused was arrested by Crime Branch officials on Monday. Preliminary investigation suggests that he had come to Mumbai to sell the weapons. His interrogation is currently underway.
Officials also expressed concerns about the increasing presence of illegal arms from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. In the past three years, over 1 lakh illegal firearms have been seized by Uttar Pradesh Police alone. Another 65,000 illegal weapons have been seized from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Authorities have noted that the quality of these weapons has significantly improved in recent years, making them comparable to imported firearms. Notably, weapons used in the recent firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s residence were also of high quality, raising serious concerns over national security and law and order.