The anti-extortion cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested five men in Wadala (East) for allegedly carrying unlicensed firearms and attempting to sell them illegally on Friday afternoon.

According to officers, AEC received specific intelligence that a group of men, armed with country-made pistols and live cartridges, would arrive around 2 pm on Friday near JK Knowledge Centre Road, in the lane opposite Bharat Petroleum, adjoining the BPT Container Road and the closed Wadala BPT Sub-Station.

Acting on the tip-off, an AEC team laid a trap at the location. The officers intercepted the suspects and apprehended them with four country-made pistols, multiple magazines and 18 live cartridges, allegedly intended for illegal sale.

Officers said the accused did not possess any valid licence for the weapons and were also found violating the prohibitory arms order issued by the Mumbai Police Commissioner.

Based on the seizure, a case has been registered at Wadala Police Station, and further investigation has been handed over to the AEC.

The accused have been identified as Bhaiyyu Rampal Khare (36), Dashrath Ambaram Baruliya (30), Sultan Kailas Baroliya (28), Dharmendra Manful Bhati (35), and Gaurav Sundarlal Devda (27).

Source