THANE: Nearly a fortnight after walking out of jail on bail in a case, a 55-year-old Dombivli builder and history-sheeter whose gangster-style aesthetics on Instagram have earned him the sobriquet of ‘reel star', has found himself back behind bars.In a midnight raid, the Thane crime branch uncovered a staggering arsenal of illegal weaponry—seven firearms, 371 live cartridges and 167 air gun pellets—worth nearly 10 lakh from a hidden compartment of a newly installed shoe rack at his bungalow.Acting on a tipoff, a crime branch team searched the residence of Surendra Pandurang Patil in Dawdi late last Saturday. The 371 live cartridges and 167 air gun pellets suggested that the cache was fully operational and ready for use, said DCP (crime) Amar Singh Jadhav.Police said Patil, who has over 3 lakh followers on Instagram, used firearms as props for videos to push his narrative of a gangster.Patil now faces fresh charges under Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act, while authorities probe whether the weapons were being supplied to local criminal elements. The picture will be clearer in a day or two," said Jadhav.A senior official said the case reflects a dangerous trend of social media clout being fuelled by illegal arms.
Author: Nishikant Karlikar
Published at: 2026-03-30 22:12:00
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