Bulletproof jacket, illegal weapons seized as Rajasthan Police nab gangster

Rajasthan police arrested seven individuals, including alleged gangster Vinod Pathaina, and seized illegal arms and ammunition during a raid at a hotel in Bharatpur district.

Rajasthan police have arrested seven persons, including alleged gangster Vinod Pathaina, and seized illegal arms, ammunition, and a bulletproof jacket from their possession in Bharatpur district, officials said on Friday.

The arrests were made during a raid at a hotel under the Mathura Gate police station area, where the accused were allegedly staying without making entries in the guest register.

SP Dharmendra Yadav said police received a tip-off on Thursday that Vinod Pathaina and six to seven armed associates were staying at Unnati Hotel without official registration.

Acting on the information, a police team raided room number 101 of the hotel and found seven persons staying there without registration records.

During the search, police recovered from the main accused one illegal .32 bore pistol, a country-made .315 bore firearm, five .32 bore cartridges, seven 7.65 mm cartridges, a sword, a Hyundai Creta vehicle, a bulletproof jacket, and disputed land-related documents.

Police also recovered a country-made firearm and cartridges from co-accused Keshav, while two motorcycles allegedly used in criminal activities were seized from accused Gangaram and Ghanshyam.

The arrested accused were identified as Vinod Pathaina alias Pehalwan (45), Keshav (46), Gangaram (51), Hakim (54), Jitendra (26), Ghanshyam (55), and Ashok (59).

The SP said that Vinod Pathaina is a habitual offender with more than two dozen criminal cases registered against him in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity, extortion, and illegal land occupation.

During examination of the accused's mobile phone, police allegedly found WhatsApp chats and voice call records indicating extortion attempts and illegal monetary demands made to certain individuals.

A case was registered against all the accused on Friday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act, and further investigation is underway, police said.