Mumbai, May 23: In a major crackdown, the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested three alleged criminals who had reportedly arrived in the city to sell illegal foreign-made weapons, officials said on Saturday.

They added that the accused, all from outside Maharashtra, were apprehended during a late-night operation carried out on the basis of specific Intelligence inputs.

According to police officials, credible information was received indicating that certain individuals carrying weapons were on their way to Mumbai.

Acting swiftly on the tip-off, the Crime Branch laid a trap near a public toilet located on P.D. Mello Road close to St. George Hospital.

Around 10:45 P.M. on Friday, the three accused were caught red-handed during the operation.

Police recovered three firearms, magazines and 45 live cartridges from the possession of the accused. Officials said the ammunition and weapons bore the inscription ‘Made in China’.

However, investigators are now trying to determine the actual source and route through which the weapons entered the country, making the origin of the Chinese-marked arms a key aspect of the ongoing probe.

The arrested accused have been identified as 24-year-old Jashanpreet Mangal Singh and 24-year-old Sukhwinder Singh, both residents of Patiala in Punjab, and Arbaz, a resident of Jhalawar in Rajasthan, officials mentioned.

They said all three have serious criminal backgrounds and multiple cases registered against them.

Investigators further revealed that two of the accused had allegedly been absconding since 2022 in connection with a murder case and had been on the radar of law enforcement agencies for a long time. Arbaz alone is stated to have as many as 19 criminal cases registered against him.

According to preliminary investigations, the accused were allegedly planning to supply and sell the weapons to local criminals operating in Mumbai and nearby areas.

Following the arrests, a case under relevant sections of the Arms Act has been registered against them at Mumbai’s M.R.A. Marg Police Station.

Officials said the investigation is now being expanded to uncover the larger network behind the illegal arms supply racket. Police teams are examining all possible links, including whether the accused had any association with the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The Crime Branch is also trying to establish whether the seized weapons were part of a larger consignment meant for organised criminal groups operating across different states.

Further investigation into the case is currently underway.

Mumbai: Cyber ​​Police has claimed to have registered a case against an X account holder for spreading rumours about demolition work in Mumbai’s Bandra Garib Nagar. According to details, a rumour was spread on an X account yesterday afternoon that there would be riots and violence during the demolition work in Bandra the next day as well. Cyber ​​Bandra has registered a case and started an investigation after the X account holder is accused of spreading hatred and unrest between two communities. The police are investigating the matter further.

Mumbai Police has appealed to citizens not to share any controversial and objectionable content on social media. Action will be taken against those who spread misleading propaganda and baseless rumors on social media. Along with this, the police have also requested to be careful in using social media. The police have asked citizens not to spread unverified information on social media without any verification. If anyone publishes such content or spreads it on social media, action will be taken against him. After this action by Mumbai Police, monitoring has also been started on social media. A rumor was spread on X that the situation in Bandra once again deteriorated after Friday prayers and the police had resorted to lathicharge. The police have taken action on this and a case has been registered on this X account.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Money Laundering Squad has claimed to have arrested three criminals who were coming to sell weapons in Mumbai. Mumbai Crime Branch received information that three people were going to sell weapons near the public toilet on P. D. Mello Road near St. George’s Hospital in Mumbai. On this basis, the Crime Branch laid a trap here and claimed to have arrested the three and recovered three country-made pistol magazines and 45 live cartridges from their possession. All three have criminal cases registered against them. A murder case is also registered against them. Along with this, it is being investigated where these three got this pistol from and to whom they were going to sell it. Which gang do they belong to and who was their target. Along with this, it is also being investigated whether these miscreants are related to Lawrence Bishnoi or any other gang. Mumbai Police has registered a case against them under the Arms Act and the Mumbai Police Act for illegal sale of weapons. The three have been identified as 24-year-old Ghola Arbaaz Jhalawar, 34-year-old Jashanpreet Mangal Singh and 24-year-old Sukhwinder. The police have started further investigation in this case. Accused number one Arbaaz Jhalawar and Sukhwinder are absconding in a murder case since 2022. In this case, the police have arrested the accused and started investigation. This information was given by DCP Detection Raj Tilak Roshan at a press conference here. He said that this action has been taken on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. Meanwhile, further investigation is underway in this matter.