Gurgaon: A Faridabad court denied anticipatory bail to a Rajasthan man accused of purchasing three revolvers stolen from the Sector 8 police station malkhana (property room/warehouse). Additional sessions judge Surender Kumar on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Keshav Chaudhary, a resident of Dajanwali village in Khairthal-Tijara district, observing that the allegations against him involve the acquisition of police weapons siphoned into an illegal arms network.According to the police, Keshav purchased three stolen revolvers from co-accused Sanjay Sunaria for Rs 70,000 each, knowing they were diverted from the police station’s malkhana. The case pertains to an ITI apprentice, posted at the police station, who allegedly stole 32 firearms over several months and channelled them into an interstate illegal arms network. Police investigations alleged that 22-year-old Monu removed the weapons from the malkhana between Oct 2025 and April 2026. The stolen cache included foreign-made pistols and service revolvers that were deposited as case property.The counsel for Keshav contended that the applicant was falsely implicated in the present case. “He is not named in the FIR and his name has surfaced in the disclosure statement of co-accused Sunaria, which is inadmissible. The recovery of three revolvers allegedly sold to present applicant-accused by co-accused Sunaria has already been effected and payment of said revolvers was made by one Surender Yadav alias Sonu and applicant-accused has no concern with the same,” the counsel said.According to investigators, Monu handed the stolen firearms to his maternal cousin Vipin, who then passed them to Sunaria. Police alleged that the latter distributed the weapons to buyers across Haryana and Rajasthan, including in Dharuhera, Bhiwadi, Rewari, Noida, Palwal and Nuh. Keshav is among those accused of purchasing weapons from Sunaria. The prosecution told the court that he bought the three revolvers.“The allegations levelled against the applicant-accused are grave and serious. Investigation in the present case is still pending. The custodial interrogation of applicant-accused is necessary for proper and effective investigation. The grant of anticipatory bail to the present applicant-accused would hamper the investigation,” the court observed while denying the bail to Keshav.The firearm theft came to light in May during a routine inspection by Sector 8 SHO Rajbir Singh, who noticed discrepancies in the weapon register and ordered a detailed audit. The verification revealed that 32 firearms were missing from the malkhana. The investigation led to the arrest of 20 people, including Monu, alleged receivers and members of the distribution network. Police claimed that all 32 stolen weapons have since been recovered through technical surveillance and field operations.The case took an even darker turn days after Monu’s arrest when he confessed to another crime. During interrogation, he disclosed that he murdered his 19-year-old cousin Shivam in July last year after his girlfriend, Sarita, accused Shivam of making improper advances towards her. Police said Sarita allegedly called Shivam to her house, where he was served tea mixed with sleeping pills. After he lost consciousness, the two allegedly smothered him with a pillow before transporting his body on a motorcycle and dumping it in a canal. Following the confession, police added murder charges against Monu and Sarita under the BNS. The investigation into both the arms theft and the murder remains underway.
