Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed  

Police said a probe into 21 country-made pistols seized from suspects arrested in various cases in Pune city in the Past few days revealed that illegal firearms were being manufactured at Umarti village in MP under the brand name of ‘Umarti Shikilgar Arms (USA).

Known as ‘village of pistols’ in police circles, Umarti shares a border with Maharashtra at the Chopda taluka in Jalgaon district. Not just in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, but the ‘made in Umarti’ weapons including pistols, live cartridges and modified small guns, are being smuggled to multiple states including Punjab, through a well-organised network of illegal firearms dealers and suppliers, police said.

The firearms racketeers in Umarti are suspected to have contacts with organised crime syndicates in different states.
Recently, on the night of November 2, the Pune city police arrested a 23-year-old Pradip alias Babu Yashwant Kondhwalkar from Chandanagar with a country-made pistol and a live cartridge. During investigation, two more were arrested and ten more pistols were seized in this case registered at Vimantal police station, said Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil.

Also, four pistols were seized from persons arrested in a separate case at the Kalepadal police station this month. Crime branch personnel also seized seven pistols in different cases.

Probe into the illegal firearms seizure in Pune provided leads on how these pistols were manufactured at Umarti and smuggled to different states. Then, considering the notorious nature of the firearms racketeers in Umarti, the Pune city police planned a proper action against the illegal weapons manufacturing units in the village, located in the vicinity of forest, in the jurisdiction of Warla police station in Barwani.

A special team of 105 policemen was formed under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Somay Munde, a recipient of the Shaurya Chakra gallantry award, for his courageous action against the armed Maoists in Gadchiroli that led to the killing of top naxal leader Milind Teltumbde in 2021.

Along with arms and ammunition, the police team left for Umarti with bullet proof jackets, body-worn cameras, drones, mobile surveillance vehicles and a temporary wireless network unit. A quick response team (QRT) was also deployed for their assistance. Cops started the raid in the early hours of Saturday.

Joint Commissioner of Police Rajan Kumar Sharma said if the weapon dealers opened fire, preparations were done to counter them effectively while carrying out the raid on illegal firearms manufacturing units in Umarti, in coordination with the Jalgaon and Madhya Pradesh police.

“The action is still on. Huge amounts of weapons and material used for manufacturing firearms, along with some modern equipment, have been seized. Nearly 50 kilns used for moulding and production of illegal weapons were destroyed. Several persons have been detained at the spot for investigation. Their role in the firearms racket is being investigated. Those found involved would be arrested. More details would be shared later,” said Sharma, during a press conference.

Pune police recorded videos of the action at Umarti using drones. Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Pankaj Deshmukh said it will be investigated whether the firearms smuggled from Umarti were used for committing any crimes in Pune.

‘Illegal firearms trade in Umarti for 50 years’
Dr Maheshwar Reddy, Superintendent of Police, Jalgaon said, “The illegal manufacturing of firearms has been going on in Umarti for nearly 50 years. Majority of the people from Umarti village belong to the Shikligar Sikh community and many of them are involved in the unauthorised firearms trade.”

Reddy said the Jalgaon police has this year seized nearly 65 desi kattas (country made pistols), all manufactured in Umarti. “Last year too we seized nearly 90 pistols made in Umarti…. History sheeters from Maharashtra and other states have their contacts in Umarti for procuring the illegal firearms,” Reddy said.

Asked why the MP police have failed to curb the firearms racket operating from Umarti, Reddy refused to comment. Reddy had visited the Umarti village in March 2024 during the joint border conference with Madhya Pradesh police to improve coordination for curbing illegal firearms trade and other criminal activities in the border areas.

However, in February this year, after the Jalgaon police arrested a firearms dealer from Umarti, his associates launched a major attack on the cops and even abducted a police constable. They released the constable after the Jalgaon police authorities communicated with their counterparts in Madhya Pradesh and the Sarpanch of Umarti.

‘Minors got Umarti weapons for murder’
Earlier this month, the Pimpri Chinchwad police had nabbed six minor boys after one of them was found posing with two pistols on Instagram. Police seized two pistols and two cartridges from the minors. Probe revealed that minors had a dispute with a man operating an Anda Bhurji stall in Aundh. Police said to murder this man, the minor accused had purchased the two pistols and cartridges from Guru Singh (23), a weapon dealer from the Umarti village in MP, by paying him Rs 50,000 through their 19-year-old friend.

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