PUNE — Rampant use of illegal firearms has become a serious cause of concern for Pune police. According to statistics released by Joint Commissioner of Police Rajendra Sonawane on Monday, 78 unlicensed arms were seized by the police in 2007. Senior police officials said the arms were brought to Pune from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
In two separate incidents on Sunday and early Monday, firearms were used in Swargate and Warje leaving two people injured.
Taking serious note of the incidents, Sonawane told Arab News, “While weapons are seized and the accused are nabbed, it is important to identify the source of the weapons. I have ordered the crime branch sleuths to immediately launch a drive to unearth unlicensed firearms in the city.”
Sonawane has also asked the police to find out from where illegal firearms were being brought in the city.
Tension prevailed in Warje on Monday after the shooting incident.
In the Swargate incident, a security guard working at a construction site opened fire on his colleague after the latter demanded he repay a loan of Rs.6,000. The accused, Jaiprakash Upadhya, hailing from Uttar Pradesh fired on Gopal Jaiprakash Singh. Upadhya was arrested at the Pune railway station while he was about to leave for Uttar Pradesh.
