2 held for planting gun at rival’s office
MUMBAI: The MBVV police crime branch arrested two men for planting two pistols in the office of their business rivals. The police have seized four pistols and 43 live cartridges from the arrested individuals.
A team from Unit 1 of the crime branch arrested these men from Kashimira with the weapons. Their intention was to place these weapons in the offices of their competitors and subsequently alert the authorities, falsely implicating the rivals in criminal activities.
Police sources said that a fastfood steel counter manufacturing owner, identified as Anees Khan, had found a country-made pistol and some rounds in one of the steel counters of his office. He had handed over the weapon to the police after which they registered a case against an unknown person who had planted the weapon there. The same day another fast-food counter manufacturer Shakir Abdul Wahab found a countrymade pistol and ten live rounds in his stall after which another case was registered under sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act for illegal possession of a firearm. On investigation, the police found out that both the fast-food steel counter makers were the rivals of one Firoz alias Ibrahim Alam who owned a store of steel counters and furniture making and supplied to various fast-food joints in Mira Bhayander region.
Firoz confessed to planting weapons and live cartridges to frame his business rivals, Khan, Wahab, and Kalim Khan, for causing him significant losses. He enlisted a former employee to acquire four pistols and 43 rounds, planting two pistols at their rivals’ offices and discarding one in mangroves. Before planting the fourth pistol, they were arrested. Investigations are ongoing to trace the source of the weapons.