Huge cache of weapons seized from Rajasthan's Pratapgarh

A substantial cache of arms has been seized from Pratapgarh district in Rajasthan following the arrest of two key suspects during an operation to dismantle an inter-state weapon supply network, police said on Wednesday.

In a joint operation, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Pratapgarh Police have seized 14 illegal firearms, over 1,860 live cartridges and 10 magazines from Chhoti Sadri area, they said.

The arrested accused included notorious gangster Salman Khan (38) from Nagda in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, and arms supplier Rakesh Kumar from Jhalawar.

According to AGTF Additional Director Dinesh MN, the operation was planned under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General of Police Yogesh Yadav and extensive intelligence was gathered by police teams sent to Banswara, Pratapgarh and Chittorgarh.

Subsequently, they arrested Rakesh Kumar, a crucial link in the arms supply chain, from Chhoti Sadri-Neemuch Road on June 28. His interrogation led the police to Salman Khan, who was already lodged in Banswara jail in connection with a kidnapping case.

''During custodial interrogation, Salman revealed his family's deep criminal ties,'' the AGTF official said. Salman's father Sher Khan Pathan, a former policeman, was killed in an encounter after being involved in serious crimes including murder. Salman confessed that he entered the world of crime at a young age, after dropping out of school and grabbing a disputed land despite owning 90 bighas of family property.

Facing multiple cases, he had fled to Dubai on a forged passport, leaving his stockpile of illegal weapons with an associate in Ratlam.

Police said Salman's detailed disclosure led to the seizure of the arms from Chhoti Sadri. They said Salman faces multiple cases of assault, extortion, Arms Act violations, theft, attempt to murder and offences under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Further investigation is underway to trace other members of the network, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)