The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has made a significant breakthrough, arresting an arms smuggler from Madhya Pradesh and five others, and recovering 25 country-made pistols and 90 cartridges from them. The arrests were made just weeks before the state goes to polls for the Lok Sabha elections on May 7.

The main accused, Shivam alias Shiva Damor (26), was apprehended for allegedly procuring illegal weapons and selling them to contacts in Gujarat on commission, according to the ATS. Shivam, a resident of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh, was intercepted based on a tip-off that he would be supplying arms to an individual named Manoj Chauhan at Narol bridge in Ahmedabad city on April 25. Manoj, from Chotila town in Surendranagar district, was also arrested during the operation.

During the interrogation, Damor confessed to selling illegal weapons in Gujarat for the past three months. He reportedly visited different parts of the state every four to five days to meet prospective buyers. Following Damor's revelations, the ATS conducted raids in Amreli, Rajkot, and Surendranagar districts, leading to the arrest of four more individuals. The ATS recovered 20 pistols and 70 cartridges from these individuals, believed to have been purchased from Damor.

A case has been registered against all six accused under the Arms Act, with further investigations underway to ascertain the involvement of others in the illegal weapons supply network.