The Crime Branch Unit Three of Navi Mumbai Police arrested a 26-year-old man in Kamothe for possession of a country-made iron pistol and two rounds of ammunition. The accused, identified as Vivek Harivilas Giri, was reportedly in the area to sell the firearm.
Giri, an unemployed, resident of Hemant Mhatre's Chawl near Hanuman Temple in Roadpali Village, Panvel, Raigad District, was apprehended following a tip-off.
Crime Branch officials were alerted to the presence of an individual carrying illegal firearms in the Jawahar Industrial Area of Kamothe. Acting on this intelligence, Unit-3 officers set up a trap near Ultra Plus Lubes Pvt. Ltd., Plot No. 124, around 10:50 a.m on October 29, 2024, where they caught Giri in possession of the weapon and ammunition, valued at Rs 25,200. "During the operation, we apprehended Giri with an illegally possessed country-made iron pistol and two rounds of ammunition," said ACP Ajay Landge of the Crime Branch.
Giri has been charged under Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act and Sections 37(1) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. A case was registered at Kamothe Police Station, and he was presented in Panvel Court, where he was remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway by Crime Branch Unit-3.
In a similar operation later that day, Crime Branch Unit-1, Vashi, received confidential information regarding a suspect arriving under the Turbhe overbridge in Navi Mumbai with illegal firearms. Following a coordinated setup, officers apprehended the suspect, identified as 34-year-old construction worker Nitin Ashok Kamble, around 8:30 p.m. on October 29.
Kamble, a resident of Riddhi Siddhi Paradise in Sector-12, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai, was found with a country-made pistol and two live cartridges valued at approximately Rs 20,000. A case has been filed at Turbhe Police Station under Section 3 and 25 of the Arms Act, 1959, and Sections 37(1) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. Kamble has also been remanded to judicial custody, and Crime Branch Unit-1, Vashi, continues to investigate.