Security guard arrested for not registering firearm

The Deonar police on Thursday arrested a 45-year-old security guard who had not registered a firearm he owned with the local police.

The Deonar police on Thursday arrested a 45-year-old security guard who had not registered a firearm he owned with the local police.

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Pandit Yadav was arrested from his Deonar-residence after police found that he did not have a valid licence for the .12 bore rifle and the six live cartridges he had. "Yadav said he had registered the rifle in Bihar," said Pralhad Panaskar, senior inspector with the Deonar police. Rules require a person to register a firearm with the local police station, something Yadav did not do.

Yadav was employed with a Thane-based security firm. Panaskar said the police have written to the security agency asking what measures has it taken to ensure that people being hired have valid documents. "If the agency has not run a background check [on the guard], it is liable for action," Panaskar added.

Yadav's arrest is part of a drive by police stations across the city to check the antecedents of security guards. The drive was initiated after 25-year-old Wadala lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha was murdered allegedly by a security guard in the second week of August.

In addition to running background checks on security guards, police are checking if the weapons owned by the guards are licensed and have been registered with the local police.