Arms Seizure in Nashik: ATS, UP Special Task Force, IB join probe

The police have also found that Badshah, a Sewri resident, has nearly 30 cases against him. “He was earlier part of Pathan gang and his brothers also have cases registered against them,” an officer said. Khan, who also lived in Sewri area, has several cases registered against him as well, an officer said. Police said Suka has relatives in Pakistan and had reportedly made several calls there in the past. “We will be checking the people in Pakistan whom Suka would call and also check the nature of the conversations,” said an officer investigating the case. An officer said on Saturday, the Maharashtra ATS and the IB officers questioned the accused to check if the men had any connection with any known terror groups.

The police believe there were more than three accused who had robbed the gun showroom in UP and are trying to identify them. A source said the firearms found on the accused were much less in quantity than the weaponry stolen from UP. “Either, the other accused fled with the rest of the arms or these accused have dumped those somewhere. We are also questioning them,” said an officer linked with the probe.

While ATS officers did not comment on the matter, an officer from the UP Special Task Force said: “Badshah had been recently released from prison. We cannot rule out a conspiracy hatched behind bars. We are trying to find the link that alerted them about the gun showroom in UP, which they looted. We will know the links once we interrogate the accused.”

Soon after hatching a plan to loot the showroom earlier this month, the accused allegedly stole a jeep from the 90 Feet Road at Oshiwara in Andheri on December 5. The owner of the vehicle, Feroz Mehboob Khan (53), approached Amboli police station the next day but no complaint was registered. The Amboli police eventually registered a case of theft after the three accused were arrested in the vehicle on Friday. The police also questioned the vehicle owner regarding the case.

The Senior Inspector of Amboli police station, Bharat Gaikwad, said: “We have questioned Khan and so far, there is nothing amiss with the version given by him.” The three arrested had reportedly told the Nashik police that they had robbed the showroom in UP and escaped in a Bolero. They stopped at a petrol pump in Nashik to take fuel , threatened the petrol pump staffers with a revolver and refused to pay the bill. The petrol pump owner informed the police control room after which the three were detained, the police said, adding that on searching the stolen Bolero, they found firearms hidden in a cavity and they arrested the three. They were produced in court and remanded in police custody till December 28.