Book Seller At Dawn, Illegal Gun-Maker At Dusk: Racket Busted In Karnataka

An illegal country-made pistol manufacturing and supply network has been busted and 13 suspects arrested in Karnataka. The police have also seized nine country-made pistols and a large quantity of firearm components and ammunition-related materials. The gun supply network operated out of Katagali village in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district.

The main accused, Maruti Sutar of Katagali village, had allegedly been making country-made pistols since 2024 at his house. The police seized one pistol from his house and recovered eight more that had already been sold to buyers across Belagavi and Uttara Kannada districts.

The accused is said to have manufactured both single-loaded and double-loaded country-made pistols.

The racket came to light during a probe into a murder case registered in Khanapur taluk in 2024. During the investigation, officers traced the weapon used in the crime and uncovered the larger illegal firearm manufacturing network.

Those arrested in the case include Maruti Sutar, Somanath Chougale, Santosh Naik, Maruti Gudadyagol, Balu Naik, Laxman Gujanal, Basavaraj Salotagi, Basavant Yaramalkar and Laxman Gurav, among others.

Investigators said accused Mariyappa Naik had allegedly financed the manufacture of the country-made pistols. Another accused, Vishwanath Desai, allegedly supplied firearm parts used in their production.

The police said Desai, who operated a book stall in Joida of Uttara Kannada district, was allegedly involved in the sale of gun parts and ammunition-related materials. During the operation, officers seized 21 gun triggers, five heads, 15 gun nipples, one sealing weld component, 34 packets of gunpowder, 499 lead pellets, 420 caps and 48 live cartridges.

The investigation also revealed that materials required for gun manufacturing were allegedly sourced from Belagavi's Khanjar Galli area. The police claimed that supplies were being procured through a gun shop that had officially ceased operations in 2021. The shop owner, Vijay Angolkar, has also been named as an accused for allegedly carrying out unauthorised sales.

The police further alleged that firearm components were sold to Vishwanath Desai, who then facilitated their distribution. A case has been registered at Khanapur Police Station.