Mumbai police launch crackdown against owners of unregistered firearms

    Mumbai, Mar 3 (PTI) The elite Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police is currently conducting a rigorous operation to validate arms licenses in the metropolis, including the re-registration of those which have been issued from other states. This decision follows the tragic murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, prompting an additional directive to verify the licenses of individuals possessing weapons for personal protection and those involved in security services.

    Over the past 10 days, three individuals have been arrested by Crime Branch units in their crackdown on unauthorised weapon possession, an official said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam told PTI, "Security personnel and private bodyguards employed to safeguard builders, politicians, etc., are currently under scrutiny, with their weapon licenses undergoing thorough verification."

Individuals holding licenses from other states and utilising their firearms in Mumbai are required to transfer their licenses and furnish relevant firearm documentation to the city police, the official stated.

This proactive measure stems from the recent tragic event involving the fatal shooting of Abhishek Ghosalkar, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinod Ghosalkar in Mumbai last month.

The assailant, Mauris Noronha, tragically took his own life with his bodyguard's firearm during a Facebook live session.
    
    
    
    Subsequently, Noronha's bodyguard, Amarendra Mishra, was arrested under the Arms Act.

The official stressed "failure to provide adequate details or documentation regarding a weapon will result in charges under the Arms Act. It is imperative to note that individuals carrying firearms, whether as security guards or personal bodyguards, are prohibited from displaying them openly."

In a recent enforcement action, Crime Branch arrested Jamrul Hanif Khan (26) and Mohammad Yasar Mohammad Iqbal (34) in Ghatkopar on February 21 for possessing firearms for which license was provided by an additional district magistrate in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir for their protection.

However, the duo had not registered these weapons with the Maharashtra police, leading to charges under the Arms Act.

It may be mentioned that over 4 lakh arms licenses issued from Jammu and Kashmir are already under the scanner of the CBI as it is alleged that many of the licenses issued from the erstwhile state, now a union territory, were prepared by using forged documents.

Similarly, on February 29, Hanumant Pratap Vishnudatta Pandey (45) was arrested after a revolver and four cartridges were discovered in his possession in suburban Kurla.

Pandey, who provided security services independently, had failed to renew the license for his firearm obtained from Uttar Pradesh and had not transferred it to Maharashtra or notified the relevant authorities, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)