Man runs from nakabandi, caught with country pistol

Halted at drink-driving checkpost in Mulund, man dumps bike and tries to flee; cops give chase and nab him, recover country-made pistol and five live rounds

Man runs from nakabandi, caught with country pistol

The Mumbai police caught a man with a country-made pistol and five live rounds in Mulund on Tuesday night. Identified as Rajesh Arjun Hatankar (40), a resident of Nehru Nagar, Kurla (East), the man confessed to be working for the underworld.

The accused: Rajesh Arjun Hatankar was nabbed with a country-made gun during a nakabandi to check drunk drivers at Mulund yesterday.u00a0

The Vikhroli traffic division, along with the Navghar police, was carrying out a nakabandi to check drunk drivers around 11 pm on Anant Nagar check naka, Mulund (East). During the nakabandi, the traffic constables signalled a bike to stop. But the rider dumped the bike and tried to run away.

Traffic constable Shrikrishna Kanade who caught the accused

“When the biker was asked to stop, he left his bike at the nakabandi and tried to run away,” said Ganesh Gaikwad, senior police inspector, Navghar police station.

Sensing something amiss, traffic constable Shrikrishna Kanade and Sunil Gadge chased the accused for nearly five minutes and succeeded in nabbing him. “When we caught up with him, he was trying to get rid of his country-made pistol,” said Kanade. “We immediately nabbed him.”
Hatankar was produced in the Mulund court yesterday and was granted police custody for three days.

“We are checking if he has any criminal cases on him,” said Gaikwad. “He has confessed to being involved in some murder cases but that has to be checked. We are also trying to find out from where and why did he get the gun,” said Gaikwad.

The Mumbai traffic police have re-launched a campaign since Monday against drink-driving. They have caught around 158 people for driving under the influence of alcohol till now. “Traffic constables are stationed mostly from 9 pm to 2 am to check vehicles,” said a police officer from the Traffic department. “Around 50 spots have been marked for checking.”u00a0

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