Twelve-year-old boy finds gun in empty house, fires it near a garbage bin believing it is a toy; it took cops a month to trace the gun’s owner, who turned out to be a woman with a criminal past
Sangeeta Vijay Nair was arrested on Saturday. Pic/By Special Arrangement
A Twelve-year-old boy narrowly escaped tragedy after he accidentally fired a loaded pistol in Dahisar last month, mistaking it for a toy. No one was injured, but the incident led cops to a serious criminal: the weapon belonged to a woman with a history of extortion, robbery, and a previous arrest under MCOCA. Police arrested the 42-year-old woman, who had gone into hiding after the incident.
The arrested woman has been identified as Sangeeta Vijay Nair. Dahisar police apprehended her near the Dahisar Toll Naka on Saturday and produced her before the Borivli Metropolitan Magistrate Court for remand. The pistol, a German-made imported weapon, still had five live rounds in the magazine. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act, and a detailed probe was initiated under the guidance of Zone 12 senior officers, including Senior Inspector Ashok Honmane.
“During interrogation and investigation, it was allegedly revealed that Nair had a serious criminal background, including previous arrests in cases of extortion and robbery. She had also been booked and arrested under MCOCA by the Kala Chowkie police several years ago, along with her husband and others in a robbery case,” said an officer. Nair reportedly owns multiple homes in and around Ghartan Pada.
The house from which the pistol was recovered belongs to Nair. The boy’s maternal aunt (mausi) used to work as a housemaid at Nair’s house. On the day of the incident, the boy had accompanied her to the house. While she was busy working, he began exploring the home, opened a cupboard, and discovered the pistol. Unaware of the danger, the boy took the firearm, believing it to be a toy, and began playing with it. He eventually fired a round near a garbage area before fleeing in panic after hearing the shot.
Upon receiving information about the firing on June 27, the Dahisar police rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. Officers from Dahisar police station and the Local Crime Branch (Unit 12) seized the weapon, which had been discarded near a garbage heap close to Saikrupa Chawl, Ghartan Pada No 2, Dahisar East.
“When the police gained the boy’s trust and questioned him, he revealed that he had taken the pistol from Nair’s house,” said an officer. The house was locked, and Nair had gone into hiding. “We were continuously tracking her movements, but there were no initial leads. Eventually, her location was traced through call data records to a residential society near Dahisar Check Naka. She was detained and subsequently arrested,” said a police official.
“We have arrested the accused. She was produced in court on Saturday and remanded to judicial custody,” confirmed Senior Inspector Ashok Honmane of Dahisar police station. He added that Nair has multiple serious criminal cases registered against her name, including extortion, and had previously been booked under MCOCA.
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