Gangster Salman, illegal arms supplier arrested in Rajasthan

Jaipur, July 2 ( IANS) Two criminals, gangster Salman Khan and his aide Rakesh Kumar, have been arrested in Rajasthan, and a huge cache of illegal arms has been seized from their possession, police said on Wednesday.

In a major crackdown on organised crime and the illegal arms trade, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in collaboration with Pratapgarh Police, carried out a successful operation, resulting in the seizure of 14 illegal foreign and indigenous weapons, 1,860 cartridges, and 10 magazines.

The arrest and arms seizure exposed a widespread network of illegal arms in the region.

Acting on a tip-off, a special team, comprising ASI Shankar Dayal Sharma, Head Constables Suresh Kumar and Kamal Singh, and Constables Naresh Kumar, Ratiram, and Suresh Kumar (driver), was dispatched to Banswara, Pratapgarh, and Chittorgarh.

The first breakthrough came on June 28 when Chhoti Sadari Police arrested Rakesh Kumar (48), a resident of Jhalawar, from the Chhoti Sadari–Neemuch road with a pistol in his possession.

Rakesh was a crucial link in the arms smuggling chain, and his arrest opened up a new trail.

During interrogation, Rakesh disclosed information about another major player in the crime world, Salman Khan (38), a resident of Nagda, Ujjain. Salman, already lodged in Banswara Jail for an extortion case, was taken on a production warrant by the AGTF, and his interrogation revealed startling facts.

According to police, Salman's father, Sher Khan Pathan, was a cop. However, Pathan, who also indulged in criminal activities, was killed in a police encounter.

Despite having 90 bighas of ancestral land, Salman chose a criminal life and indulged in land grabbing and violence under the guise of property dealing.

To escape legal pressure, Salman fled to Dubai using a fake passport. Before leaving, he mortgaged his cache of illegal arms to his associate Mohammad Nawaz from Ratlam for Rs 30 lakh, intending to reclaim it after release.

Based on Salman's revelations, the police recovered a significant stockpile of illegal weapons and ammunition from the Chhoti Sadari area.

The cache included a 12-bore pump-action gun, a .22 bore rifle, three .22 bore revolvers, one .32 bore automatic Mauser, and eight .32 bore pistols.

Additionally, ten empty magazines, two magazine fillers, and a large quantity of cartridges of various bores were also seized.

Salman already has multiple criminal cases registered against him, including assault, criminal intimidation, theft, attempt to murder, extortion, Arms Act, and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act violations.

Further investigation is underway to identify and arrest other individuals involved in the network.

--IANS

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