Nagpur: Roshan Mohite alias Roshan Gaikwad, a sand mafia member with several cases to his name, was arrested from Wani in Chandrapur on Thursday evening for allegedly firing shots in the air near Hasanbagh in Nagpur.CCTV footage had captured Roshan’s vehicle moving through Hasanbagh as he fired a gunshot at around 1.30am. While police said one shot was fired near the residence of a narcotics peddler identified as Siraj, sources indicated that gunshots were heard more than once. Investigators are now trying to ascertain exactly how many rounds were fired and why Roshan chose the particular location.Roshan waited at the spot for about ten minutes before the firing. He then reversed his vehicle and spoke to another criminal named Fardeen, said sources.As per sources, crime branch tracked down Roshan with the help of CCTV footage, mobile cell data, tower locations, and other technical surveillance, along with human intelligence inputs.Teams under the supervision of DCP (Detection) Deepak Agarwal and ACP Vaibhav Jadhav fanned out to various places, including Chandrapur.When taken into custody, Roshan was found to be under the influence of some narcotic substance and was unable to speak. He denied his involvement in the firing, said sources.Sources said Roshan reportedly had a tiff with Siraj, who was released from jail around two months ago. Fardeen told police that he and Siraj were friends in Nagpur Central Jail. After speaking to Fardeen, Roshan reversed his vehicle again and allegedly fired near Siraj’s residence.However, police are not fully convinced by Fardeen’s version that Roshan came to fire at Siraj in a fit of rage. They want to verify the facts once Roshan is in his senses and can be properly interrogated.Roshan has a long criminal history. He was acquitted in the Sheetal Raut murder case, in which six accused were let off in 2022 for lack of evidence. He was arrested in July 2025 for allegedly extorting Rs 10 lakh from Mehul Advani, owner of a popular eatery, in connection with a property dispute. He had worked for the sand mafia and had several other cases registered against him.A case has been registered against him under the Arms Act, and police suspect that three to four other persons may have been in the car at the time of the firing. Roshan is being brought back from Chandrapur to Nagpur and will be produced before the court.
