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.

Vasai: In a shocking incident that has tarnished the image of the ‘Khaki’ uniform and brought embarrassment to the Maharashtra Police force, three police personnel have been caught red-handed and arrested by the Vasai Police for helping a murder accused escape from the Vasai Court premises. Driven by greed, the cops directly utilized digital payment methods to accept the bribe.

The arrested police personnel have been identified as Police Constable Eknath Talpade, Prashant Rathod, and Wasim Sheikh.

The details emerging from the police investigation are startling. The accused policemen had allegedly accepted a bribe of ₹45,000 from the criminal and his family members to facilitate the escape. Instead of taking cash, the bribe was transferred digitally via Google Pay (GPay) in multiple installments of ₹5,000 each.

Upon bringing the accused near the court’s prison van, the corrupt policemen deliberately loosened the handcuffs of the accused, Vinod Soni. Seizing the opportunity, Soni made an excuse to relieve himself, and the police gave him a clear window to flee. The police have also arrested the fugitive’s wife, Sakshi Soni, and son, Atul Soni, for actively conspiring and assisting in the escape.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage within the police department. The anger stems from the fact that the Crime Branch Unit 3 team had recently cracked a highly complex, 16-year-old murder case and arrested Vinod Soni from Madhya Pradesh after an intensive investigation, only for local security personnel to let him go for monetary gain.

Mumbai: Skill development minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha will head a high-level committee to create awareness against drugs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The six-member committee will include the Commissioner of Police, collectors of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban, and two non-official members.

The formation of the panel comes in the backdrop of the Centre’s strict stance against drug menace. The committee will coordinate with various departments to prevent the cultivation of narcotic plants as well as the production, trade, transport, sale and consumption of drugs. It will also undertake awareness campaigns against drug abuse.

Meanwhile, thwarting a major drug smuggling bid connected to interstate racket, the NCB seized 702 kg of ganja worth ₹3 crore and arrested a duo, agency sources said on Friday.

Acting on specific inputs on Thursday, an NCB Mumbai team intercepted a truck in Gondia and its search led to the contraband’s recovery. Accused duo, Prakash MD & Padamlal NM, revealed that the drug was sourced from Odisha. “It also came to light that the consignment was meant for drug syndicates based in Nagpur, Gondia, Pune and Mumbai. It was noted that these syndicates collaborated for the transportation in single bulk consignment rather than separate shipments,” said an NCB official.

In a separate case being probed by the Kalyan police, a notorious criminal, who was externed from Mumbai and Thane, has been arrested in connection with the recent seizure of 9.7 kg of heroin worth ₹34.18 crore.

The police said that he is the kingpin of an interstate drug syndicate. Amjad Pathan, 47, has as many as 20 criminal cases, including murder, against him. After being externed from Mumbai and Thane, he allegedly shifted his narcotics base to Nashik.