THANE: Nearly a fortnight after walking out of jail on bail in a case, a 55-year-old Dombivli builder and history-sheeter whose gangster-style aesthetics on Instagram have earned him the sobriquet of ‘reel star’, has found himself back behind bars.
In a midnight raid, the Thane crime branch uncovered a staggering arsenal of illegal weaponry—seven firearms, 371 live cartridges and 167 air gun pellets—worth nearly 10 lakh from a hidden compartment of a newly installed shoe rack at his bungalow.Acting on a tipoff, a crime branch team searched the residence of Surendra Pandurang Patil in Dawdi late last Saturday. A shoe rack that appeared out of place in a wealthy developer’s home grabbed officers’ attention. Upon dismantling a false panel, they discovered what officers described as a “war chest designed for a small militia”, police said. Officers also recovered two steel rods, one button knife, a sharp sura (knife), two koytas (sickles), and a sword, along with two high-end smartphones valued at Rs 2 lakh.Patil said the weapons were intended for “creative purposes”. Police are investigating this claim considering his criminal history.The inventory of the seizure is among the largest in recent local history. Among the seven firearms are five country-made pistols and revolvers and the remaining are air guns. Some of the firearms featured professional engravings like ‘Made in USA’ and ‘Special Auto’. The 371 live cartridges and 167 air gun pellets suggested that the cache was fully operational and ready for use, said DCP (crime) Amar Singh Jadhav. Police said Patil, who has over 3 lakh followers on Instagram, used firearms as props for videos to push his narrative of a gangster. Patil now faces fresh charges under Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act, while authorities probe whether the weapons were being supplied to local criminal elements. “We are probing the source of the weapons and the people who supplied them. Further investigation is on and recovery of more such firearms is likely. The picture will be clearer in a day or two,” said Jadhav. A senior official said the case reflects a dangerous trend of social media clout being fuelled by illegal arms.
