The crime branch on Wednesday arrested 21 security guards working in the city who had not registered their gun licences with the police. The security guards, who all hail from Poonch district in Jammu & Kashmir, had registered firearms in J&K, but did not alert the Mumbai police after moving to the city, in violation of the law.

The police had initiated a crackdown on security guards not following procedures following the case of 25-year-old lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha who was murdered by the security guard of her building in August 2012.

Joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy said based on a tip-off, the crime branch raided the Rajiv Nagar area of Bandra where the 21 accused, employed as security guards, resided.

The police found 21 rifles – 12 bore firearms that included 15 double-barrelled guns, six single barrelled – in addition to 193 cartridges from the accused.