History-sheeter caught with firearms he fished out from Tapi River

Surat: Acting on a tip-off, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) arrested a notorious criminal with two revolvers, one pistol, and six live cartridges near Shanivar Bazar on Wednesday.
The arrested accused, Jitu alias Jitu Billo Rathod, wanted to avenge the murder of his friend Nilesh Valvi, who was killed 15 days ago. Valvi and Rathod, both divers, found the two revolvers in the Tapi River while searching for scrap.The crime branch started an investigation to find out who threw these weapons into the river.
Police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut told TOI: "The accused's friend, Nilesh Valvi, was murdered 15 days ago by one Vishal alias Kancha, whose aide Arjun also attacked Rathod. So, Rathod wanted to take revenge for his friend's murder. However, before he could kill anyone, we nabbed him."
Police said Rathod faces at least six other offences registered in different police stations of the city and he had also been detained under PASA in the past.
Rathod and Valvi would collect scrap, coins, and pooja waste from the Tapi River to earn their livelihood. Two months ago, they found two revolvers packed in a bag from the river, which they hid in Bhut Bungalow near Dakka Ovara.
During questioning, Rathod revealed that he hid one more gun inside the grill of the flood gates of the causeway bridge. The police are taking the help of Surat Municipal Corporation to trace it.
"The two revolvers are of good quality and possibly disposed of by some professional criminals into the river. We are investigating how these were dumped. If police from any other state contact us regarding undetected crime, we will cooperate with them," said the police.