Mumbai Man Arrested For Using Fake Police Clearance Certificate To Renew Arms Licence

A 36-year-old car trader has been arrested in the city for allegedly submitting a forged Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to renew a firearm licence issued by Nagaland, police said.

The accused, Faiz Irfan Adenwala , a resident of Khar West, was arrested by the Khar Police after verification checks revealed that the PCC submitted during the licence renewal process was fake.

According to police, Adenwala allegedly used the forged document to support the renewal of an arms licence originally issued by the Nagaland authorities , under which he was also found to be in possession of a firearm in Mumbai.

Investigators further stated that he had failed to inform the Mumbai Police Commissionerate about possessing the weapon, which is a mandatory legal requirement under arms licence rules.

During the probe, police also found that the accused was carrying a .32 bore pistol , and that the licence and related documentation were allegedly used to justify possession of the weapon in the city.

Following detection of the irregularities, police registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for forgery, use and possession of fake documents, along with sections of the Arms Act . He was arrested on Friday.

A court has since remanded him to police custody till June 2 , allowing investigators to interrogate him further and examine supporting records.

Police sources said the accused had claimed to be engaged in the luxury car trading business , and the weapon was reportedly possessed on grounds of alleged personal security concerns. However, investigators are verifying these claims.

Officials are now focusing on tracing the origin of the forged Police Clearance Certificate , including whether it was prepared locally or sourced through an external agent or network.

Police are also probing whether the case is part of a larger racket involving forged documents used for obtaining or renewing arms licences , particularly those issued outside Maharashtra, and whether similar applications were processed using fake verification documents.