PUNE: The Lohegaon airport authorities detained a 63-year-old builder, who is also a politician from Solapur, at the Lohegaon airport for possessing a revolver and five live cartridges around 10.30pm on Friday. The screening officer of a private company, Sujit Kagane (34) of Lohegaon, lodged a complaint with the airport police. Police said that Kagane works for a private company, and the company provides screening equipment and manpower to a private airline company.Senior inspector Govind Jadhav of the airport police told TOI, “Kagane raised an alarm after two staffers, who were screening the luggage of the passengers, informed him about the revolver and five cartridges. Following this, the CISF and other officials reached the spot and detained the builder. He was then taken to the police station, and a formal FIR was registered.”A case under the provisions of the Indian Arms Act was registered against him. “After checking the revolver and its documents, we served a notice to the builder asking him to cooperate with the investigations,” Jadhav said.Jadhav said, “The builder also contested the state assembly elections in 2014 from a constituency in Solapur district but lost the elections. He keeps moving from one place to another with his luggage.”“Around midnight, he was supposed to catch a flight to Varanasi of a private airline company. Hurriedly, the builder reached the airport with the same bag and gave it for screening after showing his tickets,” he said. “He can use the weapon in Maharashtra state only and cannot take it to other states,” Jadhav said.
