89 swords seized from SUV in Maha; 4 held

Police have seized 89 swords and a dagger from an SUV in Maharashtra's Dhule district and arrested four people in this connection, an official said Thursday.

A police team intercepted the vehicle after chasing it on Wednesday near Songir Phata in Shirpur area while it was heading towards Dhule city, located over 300 km from Mumbai, he said.

During a search, the police found 89 swords and a dagger inside the SUV in which four persons were travelling, Dhule Superintendent of Police Pravinkumar Patil said.

The police identified the arrested persons as Mohammed Sharif Mohammed Shafique (35), Shaikh Iliyas Shaikh Latif (32), Saiyad Naim Saiyad Rahim (29) and Kapil Dabhade (35), all residents of Jalna district in central Maharashtra, where they face criminal cases.

An FIR was registered against the accused at the Songir police station under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Motor Vehicles Act, the official said, adding a probe into the case was on.

Meanwhile, Jalna additional superintendent of police Vikrant Deshmukh said a team has been sent to Dhule district to get more information about the case as all the arrested persons hail from Jalna.

The Jalna police said the four face several criminal cases in the district for rioting, assault and issuing threats.

The accused used to bring swords from Rajasthan and sell them in Jalna, they added. PTI DC COR GK RSY RSY