Date:18/01/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/01/18/stories/2004011803790300.htm

Karnataka - Bijapur

Two arrested; firearms seized in Bijapur

By Our Staff Correspondent

The country-made revolvers seized from two persons in Bijapur.

BIJAPUR, JAN. 17. The Bijapur police on Friday arrested two persons, including a suspected supari killer, and seized a double barrel gun and two revolvers from them.

The arrested have been identified as Motilal Dharmsingh Lamani, alias Rathod of Baratagi Tanda near here and Shabbir Ahmad Patel of Bijapur. Motilal was arrested on the charge of possessing illegal arms on May 26, 2003. He is an accused in two cases of supari killing and was released on bail.

The Superintendent of Police, Pankaj Kumar Thakur, told presspersons today that with the arrest of Motilal and Patel, the police had seized 25 illegal firearms in the past seven months. On a tip-off, the special crime detection squad arrested Motilal and seized a country-made revolver from him. During interrogation, he revealed that he had sold a double barrel gun and a revolver to Patel.

The squad raided the house of Patel and seized the weapons.

Mr. Thakur said Motilal confessed that he had purchased these weapons from a truck driver from Madhya Pradesh. The squad would continue its drive against illegal firearms in the district, he added.