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Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP

A total of 47 suspects were detained during Saturday’s raid. Of them, seven alleged racketeers, all residents of Umarti in MP’s Barwani district, were arrested and brought to Pune.

5 min readPuneUpdated: Nov 24, 2025 12:33 PM IST

On Saturday, a team of about 105 Pune policemen, led by deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Somay Munde, destroyed nearly 50 kilns used for moulding and manufacturing illegal weapons across four units in Umarti. (Express Photo)

A week before raiding the illegal firearms manufacturing units in Umarti village of Madhya Pradesh (MP), the Pune city police had conducted a detailed recce of the area, long known for producing and smuggling country-made pistols and other weapons branded as “Umarti Shikilgar Arms (USA)”.

During the operation, police seized five country-made pistols, two live cartridges, four empty cartridges, five magazines, 100 raw barrels, five finished barrels, 14 grinding machines, 15 pistol bodies, six sawing materials and five choppers, DCP Munde said on Sunday.

Using metal detectors, the team also recovered several firearm spare parts that had been buried by racketeers. Not many “ready-to-use” weapons were found as the units typically produced spare parts and assembled firearms only on receiving specific orders from clients, including criminals from multiple states, officials said.

Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said investigations have revealed that racketeers from Umarti had sold around 800 firearms in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra over the past few years, using social media channels for communication.

A total of 47 suspects were detained during Saturday’s raid. Of them, seven alleged racketeers, all residents of Umarti in MP’s Barwani district, were arrested and brought to Pune. They have been identified as Bachhansingh alias Sunnybhai Chawla (37), Jasbirsingh Prakashsingh Chawla (22), Pravinsingh Uttamsingh Takrana (22), Rajpalsingh Pradhansingh Juneja (36), Aloksingh Joharsingh Barnala (27), Nanaksingh Ajitsingh Barnala (32) and Gurucharansingh Barnala (23).

The seven were arrested in a case registered at Vimantal police station, in which three Pune residents Pradip alias Babu Kondhalkar (23) of Kesnand, Shaikh Ahmad alias Babu Sayyad (20) of Bibvewadi, and Mayur Digambar Waghmare (22) of Kondhwa had been arrested earlier this month. Police had recovered 11 pistols from them, and subsequent probe established that the weapons were procured from Umarti racketeers.

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Police have added Section 111 (organised crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the case, which was initially registered under the Indian Arms Act. They also plan to invoke the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Produced before a Pune court on Sunday, the seven accused were remanded in police custody for five days. “Further investigation is on,” said senior police inspector Govind Jadhav of Vimantal police station.

Umarti, infamous as the “village of pistols”, shares its border with Maharashtra near Chopda taluka in Jalgaon district. According to police, weapons manufactured there, including pistols, live cartridges and modified small guns, are smuggled not just into Maharashtra and MP but also to states such as Punjab through a well-established network of illegal suppliers.

When Pune police sought inputs from MP counterparts, they were told that many villagers, particularly from the Shikligar community, were involved in illegal arms-making and might resist a raid by pelting stones or even opening fire.

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Police commissioner Kumar said the decision to dismantle the illegal units was taken despite the threat of retaliation, as Umarti had emerged as a major source of firearms supplied to criminal networks in Pune in recent years. He added that one of the pistols used in the killing of gangster Sharad Mohol in January 2024 was sourced from Umarti.

“There were limitations such as a difficult geographical location of Umarti and the support system provided by locals to the firearms racketeers. But microplanning of the action was done. A police team went to Umarti a week before to conduct a recce by travelling in the area in private vehicles. We also co-ordinated with the Madhya Pradesh ATS and Jalgaon police,” Kumar said.

DCP Munde said the raid was conducted at dawn to minimise the risk of resistance. “Considering the chances of retaliation by firearms racketeers, we decided to raid Umarti in the early hours. Accordingly, we started the raid by surrounding the village at 4 am on Saturday. We were carrying sufficient arms and ammunition and prepared to face any situation. Quick Response Team (QRT) was deployed for assistance,” he said.

Police set up a temporary wireless communication unit in the village for the duration of the operation. Officers conducting the raid wore body cameras linked to a live-feed monitoring system in Pune, while drones were deployed for aerial surveillance.

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Senior officers, including joint commissioner of police Ranjan Kumar Sharma, additional commissioners Manoj Patil, Pankaj Deshmukh and Sanjay Patil, DCP (crime) Nikhil Pingle and DCP (HQ) Rajlakshmi Shivankar monitored the raid and provided logistical support.

Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar later felicitated the 105 personnel involved in the operation and announced cash rewards for all of them.

Chandan Haygunde

Chandan Haygunde is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With over 20 years of experience in journalism, he is one of the region's most authoritative voices on crime, national security, and legal affairs. Professional Profile Specialization: He specialises covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He is at the helm of the widely read weekly series “Pune Crime Files”. He is widely recognized for his deep-dive coverage of the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and the Elgaar Parishad investigation. Key Beats: His portfolio includes covering crimes mainly under the jurisdiction of Pune City, Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Police, along with the sensitive cases from the state, being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Background: Before his long tenure at The Indian Express, he worked with other Marathi and English publications, giving him a unique grassroots understanding of Maharashtra's socio-political landscape. Awards and Recognition: He got the CMS PANOS Young Environment Journalist Award in January 2014 for investigative reports on illegal activities in Sahyadri Tiger Rerserve. He received the award for outstanding investigative journalism by the Lokmat group in Pune in January 2020, “Missing since 2010, Pune youth a ‘Maoist Commander’ in Chhattisgarh”, which appeared on July 9, 2019. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) In recent months, Chandan’s reporting has focused on high-profile terror case investigations, inter-state firearms racket, leopard movements in Pune city, cyber scams and hearings of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry. 1. High-Profile crimes and terrorism cases “Techie linked to Al-Qaeda preached democracy is against Shariat” (Nov 17, 2025). Reporting on the ongoing investigation into the arrest of IT professional Zubair Hangargekar (37) from Pune for alleged terror links. “The case against Jyoti Jagtap, member of ‘Maoist front’ Kabir Kala Manch and Elgaar Parishad organiser, granted interim bail by apex court” (Nov 20, 2025) Tracking the updates in the high profile Elgaar Parishad case related to the alleged naxal activities in urban areas. “How NIA arrested doctor turned ‘ISIS recruiter’ in Maharashtra terror module case” (Nov 24, 2025) After the arrest of doctors in Delhi Red Fort blast, a report on alleged terror links of a consulting anaesthetist from a Pune hospital. “A year after loco pilot averts tragedy by spotting gas cylinder on railway track, probe still inconclusive” (Dec 8, 2025). Report on the unsolved case of a suspected sabotage incident, which could have derailed a train. “No records of Sambhaji Maharaj’s cremation available: Author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil tells Koregaon Bhima panel” (Dec 1, 2025) Reporting on a sensitive issue related to the Koregaon Bhima violence. 2. Inter-state firearms racket "Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed" (Nov 22, 2025) "Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP" (Nov 24, 2025) Reporting on the illegal gun manufacturing units in Umarti village, Madhya Pradesh 3. Cybercrime & Financial Scams “Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest ‘bank account supplier’ with links to China, nationwide cyber scams" (Nov 27, 2025) An investigative look at the modus opernadi of international cyber-gangs cheating high-earning professionals across the country ‘Your case linked to Pahalgam terrorist’: Pune businessman loses Rs 1.44 crore to fraudster posing as NIA chief" (Oct 18, 2025) Report on the tricks played on cyber scammers cheating people through digital arrest frauds Signature Style: The Investigative Hit Chandan is known for his ability to cultivate deep-cover sources within the police and intelligence agencies. His writing often goes beyond the "police version" of events, providing historical context and identifying systemic lapses. He is particularly respected for his balanced reporting on sensitive communal issues and his persistent tracking of the Maoist urban-link cases, making his columns essential reading for legal experts and policymakers. X (Twitter): @chandan_pune ... Read More

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