Illegal firearms racket: 7 accused sent to 10-day remand by Ahmedabad court

In a sensational nationwide racket involving fake gun licenses issued using bogus documents, the Ahmedabad Rural Court has ordered 10-day police custody for seven accused individuals. Preliminary investigations by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) have so far revealed the involvement of over 115 people in this fake gun license scandal.

Remanded accused:

The seven individuals handed over to ATS for 10-day remand are:

Vishal Pandya 

Dhvanit Mehta

Arjun Algotar

Dhairya Jariwala

Shailesh Bharwad

Mukesh Bhambha

ATS had initially requested 14 days of custody. Government Prosecutor MP Bharwad argued in court that a 12-bore gun, a pistol, 154 cartridges, and a gun license from Nagaland had been seized from Pandya, the main accused. 

Among the seven accused, three — Pandya, Algotar, and Jariwala — have allegedly used pistols and revolvers obtained through fraudulent licenses. They have been unable to account for 171 cartridges in their possession, raising suspicions about where and how the weapons were used. Police aim to uncover whether these cartridges were fired and, if so, where.

He could not produce records of purchase from any gun house, and admitted to having used 56 cartridges—raising questions about where the firing occurred.

From Alagotar, ATS seized a 12-bore gun, a .32 caliber revolver, a license, and 26 cartridges. He had records for the revolver but none for the 12-bore gun, and reportedly used 80 cartridges—again with no clarity on where.

Jariwala was found with a gun, a pistol, and 40 cartridges. Of those, 35 were reportedly used, and their whereabouts remain unclear.

Bambha had in his possession a xerox copy of a weapon license from Etah, Uttar Pradesh. Investigation revealed that the address and ID were fake — raising the question of who fabricated these documents.

ATS to investigate role of government officials and employees

The remand application highlighted a critical concern: the accused listed addresses in states like Manipur and Nagaland on their weapon licenses, though they had never visited these states. This raises suspicions of direct or indirect involvement of local government officials or employees in issuing the licenses—another angle ATS intends to pursue. Hence, the scope of the investigation is expected to expand to multiple states.

Based on leads from the ATS, Surat Crime Branch has arrested four people—including the owner of Gajanana Gun House in Katargam, Surat and three buyers—who used fake Nagaland licenses to purchase weapons. They seized 20 firearms, 93 cartridges, and four bogus licenses. Another 16 individuals have been declared wanted. None of the six people who obtained licenses using Nagaland addresses have ever visited the state. Currently, separate investigation teams from Surat Crime Branch are stationed in Nagaland to dig deeper.

Investigations have revealed that this racket has been ongoing for 6-7 years. Fake licenses were made to appear legitimate by creating false records of presence in Nagaland and registering them with the Home Department to obtain unique license numbers—making it easier to use these licenses in other states.

Criminal background of key accused:

1) Vishal Pandya

2019: Call center fraud (Cyber Crime)

2016: Assault in Vatva GIDC

2) Arjun Alagotar

2021: Betting case (Crime Branch)

2019: Assault in Anandnagar

2015: Loot in Adalaj

3) Selabhai Boliya

2019: Firing case in Anklav

2019: Murder case in Viramgam

4) Mukesh Bambha

2024: Assault in Vadodara-Nandesari

2022: Theft case in Saliya