Thane builder-influencer ‘Pookie Don’ arrested after 371 cartridges, 167 air gun pellets recovered from Dombivli home

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like A 55-year-old builder and social media influencer, Surendra Panduranga Patil, has been arrested in Maharashtra’s Thane district for alleged possession of illegal weapons, police said on Tuesday. Patil, a popular social media personality with over 304k followers on Instagram, was arrested on Saturday (Instagram)Patil was arrested on Saturday night after the Crime Branch conducted a raid at his bungalow in the Dawdi area of Dombivli based on a tip-off, news agency PTI reported. "Acting on a tip-off, our team searched Patil's bungalow in the Dawdi area of Dombivli late on Saturday night. We recovered a cache of weapons hidden behind a fake panel of a newly installed shoe rack that did not match the house's interior," an official told PTI. According to officials, the haul included multiple weapons and ammunition, collectively valued at around ₹10 lakh. The recovered items include- five country-made pistols and revolvers, some engraved with 'Made in USA,' and two air guns, were seized, along with 371 cartridges, 167 air gun pellets, a sword, a button knife, a sharp-edged weapon, and two steel rods. Also read | Three held for stealing 58 bikes across Thane, 41 cases cracked Police said the weapons were concealed in a hidden compartment behind a false panel attached to a shoe rack. Patil is not just a local builder, he has built a following of over three lakh users on Instagram, where he is known by nicknames such as ‘Pookie Uncle’ and ‘Pookie Don’. He had also earlier courted controversy for filming a reel inside a police inspector’s cabin at the Manpada police station, where he posed with a service weapon, The Indian Express reported. Also read | 19 years on, ex-Income Tax officer gets six-month RI in bribery case Patil had been released on bail in another case just a week before this arrest. With the latest recovery, he now faces fresh charges under the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act. Police is continuing to probe whether the weapons were indeed limited to social media use, as claimed, or part of a larger network involving illegal arms circulation.