Trio arrested for illegal firearm trade in Jalna

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Sadar Bazaar police in Jalna district on Tuesday arrested Avinash Ankush Waghmare, a 24-year-old resident of Malipura in Old Jalna, at Jijamata Chowk for possession of a country-made pistol. The arrest led to the uncovering of a local illegal weapon supply chain, which allegedly involves the son of a serving police constable.Police, acting on a tip-off, arrested Waghmare with the illegal weapon. During interrogation, Waghmare reportedly confessed to purchasing the pistol through Sheikh Shakeel, who acted as a middleman. Shakeel, in turn, allegedly procured the weapon from Jai Kanhaiya Bhandarkar. Police have identified Bhandarkar as the son of a police constable currently posted at the district police headquarters.The involvement of a police constable's son in the alleged illegal arms trade has garnered significant attention, including from senior police officers at the Director General of Police's office. Virendra Mishra, special inspector for the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar range, said, "Once a person breaches the line, they should face the legal heat." Based on the findings, the police have booked all three — Waghmare, Shakeel, and Bhandarkar — under section 3/25 of the Arms Act and section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act for illegal possession and trade of firearms.The operation was led by inspector Sandeep Bharti. "Investigation is underway to trace the origins of the weapon and determine whether more people are involved in the illegal arms network," a police officer said.Those privy to the probe said senior police officers, including superintendent of police Ajay Kumar Bansal, have taken serious cognizance of the incident. "They have issued directives to not only unearth the chain, including the source of manufacturing, but also to initiate stringent action against all the nabbed accused," the officer said.