The Pune city police have detained four minor boys for allegedly firing bullets in the air and waving sharp weapons at Meenatai Thackeray Vasahat in the Gultekdi area on Friday night, triggering panic among residents.

Police recovered three country-made pistols, a magazine and sharp weapons from the minors. A prima facie probe revealed that the firearms were procured from Madhya Pradesh over a month ago.

According to police, following a local dispute, the four minors gathered near a vehicle depot at Meenatai Thackeray Vasahat around 10.40 pm and fired bullets in the air. They also threatened people by brandishing sharp weapons and shouting, “Amhi Ithle Bhai Ahot (We are the dons here).”
After receiving information, police teams rushed to the spot and launched a search. A first information report (FIR) was registered at the Swargate police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 308(3) and 3(5), along with sections of the Indian Arms Act.

Police nabbed the minors within a short time and recovered the weapons during searches.
Assistant Police Inspector Abhijit Patil, the investigation officer, said, “All minor accused are of the age around 16 to 17 years. They were also booked for a murder in the Sinhagad Road area last year.”
Patil added that investigations so far indicate the accused procured the firearms from Madhya Pradesh. “The accused being minors are kept at an observation home. Further investigation is on,” he said.

A police officer said the minors may have purchased the weapons from racketeers linked to Umarti village in Madhya Pradesh, which was raided in November last year by a team of about 105 Pune police personnel. Despite the raid, the supply of firearms from Umarti to Pune and other places has continued.

Earlier this month, police recovered four country-made pistols and five live cartridges from two youths — Rohit Dharmadhikari (24) of Old Sangvi and Abhishek Tenkal (23) of Shivajinagar — who had also procured the firearms from Umarti, police said.