Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal
Bhopal, Nov 22: In a sweeping pre-dawn operation across Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, police forces jointly busted a major illegal arms manufacturing network concealed in the forested hills of Umarti village in Barwani district. The coordinated strike, carried out at 4 a.m. on Saturday, involved over 250 personnel, including the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and resulted in the demolition of four clandestine gun factories.
Authorities seized machinery capable of producing more than 500 illegal pistols, recovered large quantities of semi-finished weapons and tools, and detained 47 individuals, seven of whom were identified as key suspects and handed over to Maharashtra Police. Most detainees have criminal backgrounds.
Led by Barwani SP Jagdish Dawar (IPS) and Pune DCP Dr Somay Munde (IPS), the operation drew on resources from Pune Crime Branch, multiple MP district police units, and ATS teams specialising in wireless tracking, drone reconnaissance, and cyber forensics.
“This is the biggest blow yet to an inter-state arms racket,” Dawar said, noting that weeks of covert monitoring—sparked by local reports of suspicious activity—revealed the true scale of the factories hidden within the hilly terrain.
The breakthrough followed recent weapons seizures in Pune, where interrogations pointed investigators to Umarti. According to officials, the factories appeared capable of churning out .32-bore pistols and components at an industrial scale, with evidence suggesting supply links to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Preliminary inquiries indicate that over 20 households in the 80-home village may have been involved, many from the Sikhligar community historically associated with metalwork. Police have confiscated mobile phones, documents, and call-detail records that are now under forensic examination.
This raid is the third major illegal arms bust in Barwani since 2023, underscoring longstanding challenges in eradicating rural weapons hubs. Previous seizures in the region have exposed networks tied to drug trafficking and counterfeit currency operations.
Pune Joint Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma praised the seamless execution of the 105-member strike team, while investigators in Maharashtra continue probing possible links to urban criminal gangs, particularly in Pune where firearm-related crimes have risen.
With special teams searching nearby border areas for more suspects, police say additional arrests are likely. “This operation cuts off a major pipeline of illegal weapons,” DCP Munde said, stressing that intensified enforcement will prevent the network’s revival.
The coordinated crackdown not only dismantles a major illegal arms supply chain but also signals a strengthened inter-state approach to tackling organised crime in central India’s remote regions.