Man held with collection of ancient swords

The Thane crime branch on Friday arrested a 30-year-old man for the possession of swords, choppers and a loaded gun. The accused, identified as Mohammed Ashfaq Siddhiqui, a resident of Bhiwandi, is a history sheeter. The police laid a trap for him after receiving a tip-off and he was caught red-handed with a gun.

On further investigation, the police found ancient swords, a few choppers which, too, were old and a loaded gun.

The accused was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and a case was filed against him at the Shantinagar police station.

The arrest itself took place at Shantinagar, near a bakery shop in Bhiwandi, on Friday. A police officer received a tip-off about the man and a team soon rushed to the spot. The tipper guided the police with gestures and Siddhiqui was soon arrested in the morning. He was produced in court and then put behind bars.

A police officer from the Thane crime branch said, "The swords are very old and we are investigating for how long these had been kept with him. The accused is a relative of some political leader and is a history sheeter. The accused has also spent time in the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai for two years and there was a case of murder lodged against him at the Dharavi police station eight years ago. We are making further investigations into the case."