JOIN US The Marathahalli police on Tuesday arrested a 28-year-old man from Bihar and seized a countrymade pistol and revolver with two live rounds of ammunition.
Based on a tip-off, a police team nabbed Goutham Pandey, a native of Sheikhpura district, who was waiting to deliver the guns to his customers near Vagdevi School in Munekolala in Marathahalli. The suspect was trying to sell the guns at prices ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000 each.
According to police, Pandey claimed he was a priest at a temple in Bihar and had come to the city by train to sell weapons. He also told the police that the firearms were not licensed. Initially, he told the police that he bought the two firearms from local arms companies in Bihar for Rs 10,000 each.
The police later found out that the local arms factories there have been shut down and locals assemble the guns (kattas) at their homes and sell them. Pandey had bought two firearms and come to Bengaluru to make some fast buck.
The police have taken Pandey into custody and are trying to trace the source of weapons. The suspect has been booked under IPC and Section 25 of the Indian Arms Act.
The HAL police last July had arrested Amir Hussain (33), a native of Aligarh in UP after he was shot at. Hussain, who was waiting to deliver weapons, fired twice at the police when they intercepted him on Outer Ring Road. In retaliation, the police fired at him, injuring him, and later seized a country-made revolver with 13 rounds of ammunition from him.