Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Police in Maharashtra’s Nanded district have seized thousands of sharp-edged weapons, estimated to be worth around Rs 43 lakh, from an abandoned warehouse in a major crackdown on illegal arms storage, officials said on Thursday.

According to investigators, a total of 4,796 weapons, including swords, daggers, khanjars and guptis, were recovered during the early morning operation carried out in the Abchalnagar area of Nanded city.

The action was launched after police received specific intelligence about a stockpile of illegal weapons being stored at the location. During the operation, a suspect was taken into custody, following which police were led to the abandoned godown where the cache was discovered.

Nanded Superintendent of Police Abinash Kumar said the recovered weapons were of “import quality” and could potentially be used for criminal activities, though some items may have been intended for ceremonial or religious use.

He said the seizure sends a clear message that police are determined not only to intercept illegal consignments but also to identify and dismantle the network responsible for supplying such weapons.

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Officials said the investigation will now focus on tracing the entire supply chain, and provisions related to organised crime are likely to be invoked as the probe progresses.