In a dramatic early morning operation on Tuesday, Gujarat police engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with alleged members of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang near the Mini Somnath temple in Bilimora. The confrontation resulted in one gang member being shot in the leg and the subsequent arrest of all four suspects.
High-Alert Operation Leads to Temple Confrontation
The operation was launched following high-alert directives issued across Gujarat to combat the circulation of illegal weapons in the wake of Monday evening's Delhi terror blast. Multiple teams from the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) were deployed under senior supervision to track down armed criminals.
Acting on specific intelligence, a team led by PI Chandrashekhar Panara received information that armed criminals from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan had gathered in the Bilimora area, allegedly to exchange weapons. The police first raided a local hotel where they detained two suspects identified as Manish Kumawat and Madan Kumawat from Rajasthan.
Temple Premises Turn Into Battle Zone
During interrogation, the detained suspects revealed that their accomplices were visiting the nearby Mini Somnath temple. As the SMC team reached the temple premises, the situation turned violent when the two remaining suspects - Yashsingh Sundarsingh from Haryana and Rishabh Sharma from Madhya Pradesh - spotted the police vehicle and immediately opened fire using country-made pistols.
In what police described as retaliatory self-defence, PI Panara fired two rounds from his service pistol, one of which struck Yashsingh in the leg. Despite attempts to flee, all four accused were overpowered after a brief chase in the temple parking area.
Weapons Seized and Criminal Background Revealed
Police seized three country-made pistols, 27 live cartridges, and other incriminating materials from the arrested individuals. The injured suspect was shifted to a government hospital in Navsari, where his condition was reported as stable.
Preliminary investigations uncovered that the accused have extensive criminal records involving serious offenses including:
- Murder cases
- Extortion charges
- NDPS offenses
- Violations of the Arms Act
DGP Vikas Sahay stated, "The main accused is injured in the firing. Investigation is on, and once the interrogation is done, we will be able to give the exact motive."
Interstate Crime Network Connections Suspected
Police suspect the gang had gathered in Bilimora either to carry out a violent crime or to trade weapons. All four accused have been transported to Gandhinagar for further interrogation, where officials are probing potential connections to larger interstate crime networks associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate.
A senior SMC officer emphasized the significance of the operation, stating, "Our team responded swiftly and managed to control a potentially dangerous situation. The arrests have averted a serious crime."
The successful operation comes as Gujarat police maintain heightened vigilance against illegal arms trafficking following recent security threats across the country.
