Chatra police arrest three with illegal firearms, foil major crime plot in Jharkhand
Synopsis
Chatra district police neutralised an alleged major crime plot on 7 November, arresting three youths found with two country-made pistols, a regular pistol, and live cartridges. Two of the accused carry prior criminal records — one with six registered cases including attempt to murder — raising questions about the scale of the criminal network police are now working to unravel.
Key Takeaways
Chatra district police arrested three youths on 7 November 2025 for allegedly planning a major criminal incident.
Recovered items include two country-made pistols , one regular pistol , three live cartridges , three mobile phones , and ₹3,500 in cash.
Accused identified as Mukesh Kumar , Nitish Kumar , and Abhishek Kumar — all from the Kunda police station area.
Mukesh Kumar has six prior criminal cases across four police stations, including charges of attempt to murder and Arms Act violations.
192/25) was already registered against Nitish Kumar at Sadar police station before this arrest.
Police are probing the accused's wider criminal network and whether the weapons were intended for a specific target.
Chatra district police in Jharkhand arrested three youths on 7 November 2025 after intercepting them with illegal firearms, foiling what officials described as a planned major criminal incident. The operation, conducted under the leadership of Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sunny Vardhan, came after confidential intelligence reached the district's top officer.
How the Operation Unfolded
Superintendent of Police Animesh Nathani received confidential information that two to four youths with criminal backgrounds were allegedly planning to execute a serious crime using illegal weapons. Acting swiftly on those inputs, a special raiding team was constituted under the Sadar SDPO's command and deployed across multiple suspected locations in the Kunda police station area of the district.
The team apprehended all three accused during searches and seized a significant cache of weapons and other items from their possession.
Who Was Arrested and What Was Recovered
The three arrested individuals have been identified as Mukesh Kumar, son of Tokhlal Yadav and a resident of Medwadi village; Nitish Kumar, son of Lakhan Yadav and a resident of Bhoridih village; and Abhishek Kumar, son of Chandrika Yadav and a resident of Madarpur village. All three belong to the Kunda police station jurisdiction.
Police recovered two country-made pistols, one regular pistol, three live cartridges, three mobile phones, and ₹3,500 in cash from them.
Prior Criminal Records of the Accused
Investigators found that two of the three accused carried prior criminal records. According to SDPO Vardhan, an FIR (Case No. 192/25) is already registered against Nitish Kumar at Sadar police station. Mukesh Kumar faces six criminal cases spread across Kunda, Pratappur, Lawalong, and Manatu police stations, including charges related to attempt to murder and violations of the Arms Act. This comes amid persistent concerns over illegal firearms circulation in Jharkhand's Chatra district, an area that has historically dealt with armed criminal activity.
Investigation Status and Next Steps
All three accused are currently being questioned to establish the precise nature of their alleged criminal plans, identify their wider network, and determine any possible associates. Police are also separately probing whether the recovered weapons were earmarked for a specific target or criminal operation. Further investigation is underway, officials confirmed.
Point of View
Yet was apparently still at large and allegedly planning further criminal activity. That raises a pointed question about how effectively prior cases were prosecuted. Jharkhand's Chatra district has long struggled with illegal arms circulation linked to criminal networks, and while preventive operations like this one matter, their impact is limited without parallel pressure on arms supply chains and faster court disposal of existing cases against repeat offenders.
NationPress
8 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Chatra police operation on 7 November 2025?
Chatra district police arrested three youths — Mukesh Kumar, Nitish Kumar, and Abhishek Kumar — after intercepting them with illegal firearms while they were allegedly planning a major criminal incident. The operation was led by Sadar SDPO Sunny Vardhan based on intelligence received by SP Animesh Nathani.
What weapons and items were recovered from the arrested accused?
Police recovered two country-made pistols, one regular pistol, three live cartridges, three mobile phones, and ₹3,500 in cash from the three accused.
Do the arrested accused have prior criminal records?
Yes, two of the three accused had prior criminal records. Mukesh Kumar faces six registered cases across four police stations — including attempt to murder and Arms Act violations — while Nitish Kumar already had an FIR (Case No. 192/25) lodged against him at Sadar police station.
What is the current status of the investigation?
All three accused are being questioned to establish the nature of their alleged criminal plans and identify associates. Police are also investigating whether the seized weapons were intended for a specific criminal act. The probe is ongoing.
Where did the arrests take place?
The arrests were made in the Kunda police station area of Chatra district, Jharkhand. All three accused are residents of villages falling under that jurisdiction.
