RailEnquiry

In two separate cases, the city police confiscated seven sophisticated firearms, including a foreign made 9 mm carbine machine gun and 17 rounds after arresting three suppliers, including a television extra and prevented a possible attack on "a protected target".

Acting on a tip off, a trap was laid at Kurla Railway Terminus late last night when crime branch unit XI officials identified and nabbed two suspects, Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy said.

"Identified as Mahesh Thakur (26) and Vikas Dubey (19), both are from the Virar area and they were found in possession of a 9 mm carbine machine gun, four 9 mm pistols and 15 live rounds," Roy said.

The machine gun has Nepal marking and might have been made in an ordnance factory there, he said.

The duo who arrived in Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh in the Kamayani Express had meticulously concealed the weapons in their bags, the police said.

"Such machine guns are usually used to target a person who has police or private protection. These weapons are meant for a gang. After the seizure, we have prevented a possible attack on a protected target or a gang war," Roy said, refusing to reveal who could have been the target of the gang which ordered the weapons.

"We have been working on information for the past few days and last night, we nabbed the two with weapons. They are merely suppliers," Roy said, adding that, "Thakur has a criminal background with nearly 11 cases registered against him in Mumbai".

In another case, crime branch unit XII officials recovered two factory-made 7.65 mm pistols and two live cartridges from a supplier named Suraj Rai (24) at Thakur Village in suburban Kandivali this afternoon.

Rai had worked in a dance reality show 'Dance India Dance' and a devotional programme 'Mata Ki Chowki' as an extra artist, the police said.