Mumbai, May 23 (IANS) 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.

–IANS

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