Mumbai: Gun-supplying gang busted by Crime Branch

Crime Branch officials with the accused

The Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 arrested a gang member from Mirzapur who was supplying guns in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The Crime Branch officers also recovered eight sophisticated pistols and 138 live cartridges from the accused and arrested two more people from the Navi Mumbai area.

Crime Branch sources told mid-day "This gang was only supplying weapons to people with criminal backgrounds, and their guns were used in many firing incidents across Maharashtra." The main accused is Mitailal Gulab Chaudhari (53), a resident of Bhuij Khas Village in Chunar, Mirzapur.

The seized pistols

A Crime Branch source told mid-day, "The accused Chaudhari had been supplying sophisticated firearms in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai for many years. Like the characters from the Mirzapur web series, Chaudhari was involved in making guns in Mirzapur and supplying them to Mumbai and Navi Mumbai."

On June 30, the accused Chaudhari arrived at IMA Hall, next to PVR, Vile Parle, Guru Nanak Road, Sainath Nagar in Juhu to supply guns and bullets to a client. Unit 9 Crime Branch Senior Inspector Daya Nayak received a tip-off and they laid a trap, nabbing the accused Chaudhari along with one pistol and seven live cartridges. During the investigation, Crime Branch officers recovered an additional five pistols and 121 cartridges from Chaudhari.

A Crime Branch officer said, "With the help of information provided by Chaudhari, we managed to nab another accused, Dawal Chandrappa Decarmani alias Dhawal, 38, on July 1 from his residence in Airoli, Navi Mumbai. Accused Dhawal provided logistical support to Chaudhari."

During the investigation, it was found that both accused had sold weapons to Pushpak Jagdish Madvi, 38, who runs a security agency in Navi Mumbai. Crime Branch officers also recovered one pistol and five live cartridges from Madvi.