MUMBAI: The Powai police have arrested an Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) dropout from the campus hostel for alleged illegal possession of five 7.65mm live bullets. The live rounds were procured by the accused, Sarvottam Anand Satishchandra Chaudhary, 23, from Bihar, and were found in a bag in the hostel room allotted to his friend, a first-year BTech student at the institute, police officers familiar with the matter said.
“The accused and his friend claimed they had kept the bullets to show off in front of their friends,” a police officer told Hindustan Times, requesting not to be identified. “We are probing if they had any other motive.”
The IIT-B, in a statement, said some current students were questioned by police in connection with the incident, and the matter was pending with them. Disciplinary action would be taken as per the procedure, the statement said.
Chaudhary was arrested on Friday based on a complaint by Amod Ramdas Karanje, 49, a security sub inspector at IIT-B. Karanje, in his complaint, said that around 1.30pm on Friday, the quick response team on campus informed him about a dispute between some students in hostel number one. When he reached there with other IIT officials, students said the occupants of room numbers 93 and 89 had had an argument over money which had been resolved. But Karanje and other officials smelt alcohol on two first year BTech students; since consuming alcohol on campus was barred, the officials decided to search their rooms.
“During the search, five live bullets were found in a black bag in Apoorva Mishra’s room. When we questioned him, he said the bag belonged to his friend Sarvottam Chaudhary, a dropout from the same institute,” Karanje said in the complaint.
The police subsequently arrested Chaudhary under sections 25 and 3 of the Arms Act and other offences. During interrogation, he said he had purchased the five live cartridges from Munger, Bihar for ₹3,500, investigators said.
“The accused is a BSc student in Bihar. Since he is also an IIT-B drop-out, he had access to the campus and would make frequent visits to meet his friends,” the officer quoted earlier said.
Chaudhary was produced in court on Saturday and remanded in judicial custody.