Wanted in around half-a-dozen states, two gun runners held with 11 firearms

Khargone: Joint teams of Khargone police have on Thursday arrested two gun runners, including a Rs 55,000 reward-carrying accused wanted in multiple cases across several states with 11 firearms.

The arrested men were identified as Gurunam alias Happy Sikligar (19) and Harpal Sikligar (25), both residents of Signur village in Khargone district. Police said Gurunam was wanted in at least 10 criminal cases, most of them related to illegal arms manufacturing and trafficking, said SP Khargone Ravindra Verma.

Acting on a tip-off, teams from Gogawan, Sanawad and Jaitapur police stations jointly laid a trap and intercepted the accused near Nalwa village while they were allegedly attempting to leave the area on a motorcycle, he said.

During interrogation, the duo allegedly disclosed the location of a cache of illegal weapons hidden near a roadside water tank between Anjangaon and Signur villages. Based on their information, police recovered eleven country-made firearms concealed beneath a large stone. The seized weapons are estimated to be worth around Rs 2.45 lakh.

The arrests were made in connection with an Arms Act case registered earlier at Gogawan police station. SP said the accused were part of a wider illegal firearms trafficking network operating across state borders.

SP said Rs 55,000 reward-carrying Gurunam’s criminal record spans Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, with cases registered by the Indore STF, Haryana Police and Rajasthan Police. Harpal is also facing cases in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab, he added.

The latest breakthrough follows the arrest of a Haryana resident, Rajat, in an earlier operation under the same case. Police had then seized six illegal country-made pistols, four magazines, 10 live cartridges and a Haryana-registered SUV allegedly used for transporting weapons. During questioning, Rajat had named Gurunam and Harpal as suppliers.

With the latest seizure, the total value of weapons, ammunition and vehicles recovered in the case has reached nearly Rs 29 lakh, police said.

The accused have been produced before a court, and police have obtained their remand for further interrogation to uncover the broader network involved in illegal arms manufacturing and trafficking.