A 55-year-old construction worker and social media influencer, Surendra Panduranga Patel, has been arrested in Maharashtra’s Thane district on charges of possession of illegal weapons, police said on Tuesday.
Patil was arrested on Saturday evening after the crime branch raided his house in Dombivli’s Daudhi area based on a tip-off, news agency PTI reported.
“Based on a tip-off, our team searched Patil’s house in Dombivli’s Daudi area late on Saturday night. We found a cache of weapons hidden behind a fake painting of a newly installed shoe rack that did not fit into the interior of the house,” an official told PTI.
What the police found
According to officials, the seizures included multiple weapons and ammunition with a combined value of approximately $1,000. $10 lakh. The seizures include five locally made pistols and revolvers, some of which are engraved with the phrase “Made in the USA,” two air rifles, in addition to 371 rounds of ammunition, 167 air rifle rounds, a sword, a button knife, a sharp-edged weapon, and steel bars.
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Police said the weapons were hidden in a hidden compartment behind a false painting mounted on a shoe rack.
Pookie Don’s character under the microscope
Patel isn’t just a local builder, he’s built a following of over three thousand users on Instagram, where he’s known by nicknames like “Pookie Uncle” and “Pookie Don.”
He had earlier also courted controversy for filming a clip inside the cabin of a police inspector at Manpada police station, where he posed with his service weapon, The Indian Express reported.
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Patel had been released on bail in another case just a week before this arrest. With his recent recovery, he now faces fresh charges under the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.
Police continue to investigate whether the weapons were actually restricted to social media use, as alleged, or part of a larger network involving illegal arms trading.
(with PTI inputs)
