BELAGAVI: The Khanapur police busted a country-made gun manufacturing and supply network operating in Katgali village of Khanapur taluk. Thirteen people were arrested and nine country-made firearms seized along with a large cache of ammunition and weapon components.
The police launched the operation after receiving a tipoff that Maruti Shrikant Sutar, a resident of Katgali, was manufacturing and selling country-made guns since 2024. The police registered a suo motu case on May 11 under various provisions of the Arms Act, 1959 and arrested Maruti Sutar and recovered a country-made gun that he was making.
Further probe led to the arrest of eight persons who had allegedly purchased firearms from him. The police seized eight additional country-made guns from them, taking the total firearms recovered to nine. The accused who purchased the country-made pistol are Somnath Chougule, Santosh Naik, Maruti Gudadyagol, Balu Naik, Laxman Gujnal, all residents of Markandey Nagar, and Basavaraj Salotagi, Basavant Yarmalkar, Laxman Gurav, all residents of Mudikoppa. The police also arrested another suspect Mariyappa Naik, who had allegedly financed the manufacture of illegal weapons.
Police arrested a bookstall owner, Vishwanath aliyas Santosh Desai from Ramanagar in Joida taluk of Uttara Kannada district, accused of supplying gun parts and ammunition to the main accused. Authorities recovered 21 triggers, five gun heads, 15 nipples, 34 packets of gunpowder, 449 lead pellets, 420 percussion caps, 48 live cartridges and welding equipment from his possession.
The police arrested Vijay Angolkar, a resident of Gondhali Galli in Belagavi, who owned ‘Avis Gunshop’ in Khanjar Galli of Belagavi, and continued to sell ammunition and gun components with a licence that expired in 2021.
The materials were reportedly supplied illegally to the Ramanagar-based accused. The investigation revealed that a welding shop owner in Desur village on the Panaji–Belagavi highway had allegedly assisted in the fabrication of firearms by welding gun barrels. The police arrested him and seized welding equipment used in the operation.
All the 13 accused were produced before court and remanded to judicial custody. The successful operation was carried out by Khanapur police under the guidance of the superintendent of police, additional superintendent of police, and the Bailhongal deputy superintendent of police. The investigation was led by Police Inspector LH Goundi along with his team, who were commended by senior officials for dismantling the illegal arms manufacturing network.
