Marine Drive Police Nab Cuffe Parade Guard Absconding for 7 Years in Arms Case
The Marine Drive Police have arrested a 42-year-old security guard from Cuffe Parade who had been absconding for the past seven years in connection with a case registered under the Arms Act, officials said. The accused, identified as Nagdev Badiram Rathod, was tracked down and apprehended in the Badhwar Park area following a targeted operation.
According to police officials, the case against Rathod was originally registered at the Marine Drive Police Station as CR No. 03/2021 under Sections 4 and 25 of the Arms Act. Over the course of the investigation and Rathod's prolonged evasion of law enforcement, the court issued several notices and directives against him, including a summons, a warrant, a non-bailable warrant, and eventually a proclamation.
Investigators initially acted on information suggesting that Rathod had returned to his residence in Cuffe Parade. A police team was dispatched to carry out a search at the location, but Rathod could not be found there. Shortly after, the team received a fresh, specific tip-off from an informant stating that the suspect was present in the nearby Badhwar Park locality.
Acting on the alert, police personnel immediately mobilised to Badhwar Park and conducted a search, locating Rathod. Officers questioned him and verified his identity before confirming he was the individual wanted in the Arms Act case. He was taken into custody and formally re-arrested after being informed of the grounds of his arrest, with police confirming that all Supreme Court guidelines regarding arrest procedures were followed.
Police records show that Rathod has previous criminal antecedents beyond the Arms Act matter. He had earlier been booked in a separate criminal case under Sections 379 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
The search and apprehension were conducted under the guidance of DCP Zone 1 Manish Kalwaniya, ACP Colaba Division Pandharinath Patil, Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Kadam, and Police Inspector Rajesh Patil. The arrest team included Police Sub-Inspector Shalik Sidam, Police Head Constables Patil, Mahale, and More, and Police Constable Naikwadi.
