What could have been a spree of crimes in the northern suburbs ended before it could start, when two youngsters who were examining a recently procured firearm accidentally fired a round, setting the police on their trail.
According to Mumbai Police Crime Branch officers, an elderly couple staying in Jankalyan Nagar in Malwani, Malad, were woken up around 11.30 p.m. on April 2 by what they thought was a loud clap. They went to their balcony to investigate and were alarmed to find a hole in the grille, and a small piece of metal on the floor. The next day, they called their son-in-law. He informed the police, who registered a case after confirming that the metal piece was a spent bullet.
Crime Branch Unit XI was instructed to conduct parallel inquiries, and on Saturday, constable Ajay Kadam received a tip-off that two criminal elements were going to be on Marve Road with a firearm in their possession. A team laid a trap at the spot and Aniket Parihar (22) and Clive Borato (20) were found to be in the possession of a factory-made revolver and a live round.
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“Their questioning has revealed that they recently procured the weapon from Agra and intended to use it to commit robberies in Malad and nearby areas. On the night of the incident, they were testing the weapon, but it would not fire. They pressed the trigger hard several times while pointing it upwards till it suddenly went off. The round ended up in the balcony of the elderly couple’s fifth-floor residence,” an officer said.
The officer said the two were arrested and charged under the Arms Act, and handed over to the Malwani police for further inquiries.