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10 held in Vijayapura for illegal arms trade
Vijayapura police seized 10 pistols and 24 bullets, arresting 10 suspects linked to a murder investigation involving illegal firearms trafficking.
Vijayapura district police have seized 10 country-made pistols and 24 live bullets, leading to the arrest of 10 people on Monday and Tuesday, an officer said.
Vijayapura superintendent of police (SP) Lakshmana Nimbargi said that the crackdown stemmed from an investigation into the murder of 45-year-old man identified as Satish Premasingh Rathod in the Arakere area, under the jurisdiction of the rural police station.
“During the probe, we found that Ramesh Gemu Lamani, prime suspect in the murder, was involved in supplying firearms. Another accused, Suresh Rathod, had sourced and distributed these weapons. Upon his arrest and interrogation, it was revealed that he had supplied illegal pistols to several individuals in the district. We have seized a total of 10 pistols and 24 rounds of bullets,” he said, adding that the deceased was also found to be involved in the supply of firearms.
Acting on intelligence, police conducted raids across multiple locations in Vijayapura district, uncovering the firearms and ammunition in possession of those involved in the illegal trade, he further said.
“We have arrested 10 people so far and booked them under the illegal firearms case. Suresh Rathod, who works as a lorry driver transporting vegetables to Madhya Pradesh, was purchasing pistols at lower prices and selling them for ₹50,000 to ₹60,000. We have alerted Madhya Pradesh police and initiated further investigation,” he said.
The officer added that the arrested accused have been identified as Prakash Marki Rathod, Ashok Paramu Pandre, Sujit Subhas Rathod, Janardhan Vasanth Pawar, Sagar alias Suresh Rathod, Sukdev alias Sukhi Narsu Rathod, Prakash Bhimasingh Rathod, Ganesh Shivram, Channappa Mallappa Naganur, and Santosh Kishan Rathod. They are aged between 30 and 50 years.
