Ahmedabad, July 6 (IANS) An Ahmedabad court has remanded a 34-year-old alleged illegal arms supplier to five days’ police custody after he was arrested with four country-made pistols and seven live cartridges and allegedly attacked a senior police officer with a knife during questioning earlier this week.

Investigators say the custodial interrogation will focus on tracing the source of the weapons, which they believe were brought from Madhya Pradesh, and identifying the wider network involved in their supply.

The accused, identified as Mohamad Kalim alias Kalim Bhaiya, a resident of Musamiya Chali in Isanpur area and originally from Ayodhya district in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested at about 10:30 p.m. on July 3 in connection with a case registered at the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police station under Sections 121(2) and 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 25(1-B)(A) of the Arms Act.

He has been remanded in police custody until July 7.

According to the Crime Branch, teams had been deployed across Ahmedabad ahead of the annual Rath Yatra on July 16 to maintain law and order.

Police Inspector Imran Ghasura received intelligence about the accused allegedly possessing illegal firearms. Officers intercepted him and recovered four country-made pistols and seven live cartridges.

“The incident turned violent when Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal, who had reached the spot during patrol, joined the questioning after the recovery. The accused was taken to a shed where the weapons had allegedly been concealed and was asked to explain how they had been hidden,” officials said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bharat Patel said the accused pretended to move rubbish, blankets and pieces of cloth before suddenly picking up a knife and attacking the Joint Commissioner.

“During the interrogation, he was asked how the weapons had been concealed there. Pretending to clear away the garbage and cloth lying there, he suddenly picked up a knife and immediately attacked JCP Singhal,” Patel said.

According to Patel, the accused first pushed Inspector Ghasura to the ground before turning on Singhal. The Joint Commissioner managed to move away but sustained a serious injury to his left arm.

As the accused allegedly continued advancing despite warnings to stop, Singhal took Inspector Ghasura’s service pistol and fired a single shot in self-defence, striking the accused in the leg.

Both men were immediately taken to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in separate vehicles for treatment.

“The accused has more than 36 criminal cases registered against him involving offences such as theft, assault, criminal intimidation, kidnapping, robbery, prohibition offences, arms offences and violations of public notifications, and attack on government officials,” Patel said.

Police also stated that preventive action under the PASA Act has been taken against him on five occasions.

Patel said investigators believe the firearms were brought from Madhya Pradesh and that questioning is continuing to identify the original suppliers.

“The accused is well acquainted with police interrogation methods, so questioning is taking time. We are carrying out sustained interrogation and will reach the original source supplying these weapons,” he said.

He added that preliminary questioning suggests the accused had allegedly procured firearms on an earlier occasion and sold them.

This time, investigators suspect he intended to use the weapons to strengthen his influence in the area by arming associates and building his own gang.

The Crime Branch said further investigation is continuing into the alleged interstate arms supply network and the intended recipients of the seized weapons.

–IANS

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