Crime Branch Busts Illegal Arms Racket, Arrests Nine; Seven Country-Made Pistols Seized

Tejas Navale

Pune, January 20, 2025: In a significant crackdown today, the Crime Branch police have arrested nine notorious criminals and seized seven pistols along with 12 live cartridges from their possession. The arrests have uncovered an illegal arms racket with connections to Madhya Pradesh, where the accused allegedly procured the weapons.

According to the police, the prime accused, Akash Baliram Bidkar (24), brought the weapons from Madhya Pradesh over fears for his life due to a land dispute. However, the accused later distributed the arms among their accomplices and sold them at inflated rates in the local market.

The arrested individuals include habitual offenders Akash Bidkar (a resident of Savitribai Phule Vasahat, Dattawadi), Sagar Janu Dhebe (24, of Wadkar Mala, Hadapsar, originally from Mangaon), Tushar Dilip Mane (20, a Tadipar criminal from Ambegaon), Balu Dhondiba Dhebe (27, currently living in Phaltan, Satara), and Tejas Mohan Khatpe (another Tadipar criminal from Katraj, Ambegaon). Each of them has multiple cases under the Arms Act and other criminal sections, Deputy Commissioner of Police Nikhil Pingle revealed.

The investigation uncovered that while some accused carried weapons for personal protection, most aimed to use them to instill fear and assert dominance in their localities. The crime branch suspects a well-organised arms supply network, originating in Madhya Pradesh, as the source of these illegal weapons.

Unit 3 of the Crime Branch initially apprehended Bidkar with a country-made pistol. During interrogation, he disclosed that a land dispute with his maternal uncle, Yuvraj Bhalerao, led to threats against his life. Fearing for his safety, Bidkar procured the firearm through a mediator, Subhash Balu Margale, who facilitated its purchase. Further investigation led to the arrest of Sagar Dhebe, who had sourced all seven pistols and cartridges from Madhya Pradesh.

The police have successfully confiscated the weapons and are now tracing the larger network involved in this illegal arms racket.