Nagpur Crime Branch Seizes Arsenal from Woman Linked to Notorious ‘Ippa’ Gang

NAGPUR, Maharashtra — In a startling development in Nagpur’s underworld crackdown, the city police have arrested a woman found harboring a cache of lethal weapons allegedly on behalf of the infamous Ippa gang.

The seizure, executed by the Pachpaoli police, comes just days after the Crime Branch tightened the noose around the gang’s operations in Central Nagpur. The arrest of 34-year-old Rama Sikkalwar has exposed a new modus operandi where gang leaders use female associates to stockpile arms and evade direct detection.

Here is the investigative breakdown of the raid and the gang’s deepening footprint in the city.

The Raid: Weapons in a Residential Hideout

Acting on a specific tip-off, a team from the Pachpaoli police station raided a residence at Panchkuva Maidan, near the Kali Mata Mandir, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Seizure: Between 2:00 PM and 2:50 PM, officers searched the home of Rama Sikkalwar. The search yielded a disturbing collection of weaponry:

• One iron sword

• Three iron picks

• Two steel serrated knives

The total value of the seized arms is estimated at Rs 3,500, but their potential for violence in gang warfare is far higher.

The Connection: According to police sources, Sikkalwar confessed during interrogation that she was “stocking” the weapons for the gang. She explicitly named Rahul Masurkar—a known member of the Ippa gang arrested earlier by the Crime Branch—and his associates Irshad and Naushad as the suppliers.

The Context: Who is the Ippa Gang?

The Ippa gang, led by Irfan Khan alias Ippa, is one of Central Nagpur’s most feared criminal syndicates, operating primarily out of Mominpura and Dobi Nagar.

• Criminal Profile: The gang is notorious for narcotics smuggling (specifically ganja from Odisha), operating gambling dens, and violent turf wars. They have previously been booked under the stringent MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act).

• Recent Crackdown: The raid on Sikkalwar’s home follows the arrest of Rahul Masurkar, 22, from whom the Crime Branch recovered three firearms and narcotics earlier this week. Masurkar’s interrogation provided the intelligence that led police to Sikkalwar, unraveling a network that uses residential “safe houses” to store contraband.

The Charge: Aiding and Abetting

Police have registered a case against Rama Sikkalwar under:

• Sections 4 and 25 of the Arms Act

• Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act

The charges relate to the illegal possession of weapons with the intent to commit cognizable offenses.

Investigative Lead: This operation highlights a strategic shift by the gang to use women as custodians of their arsenal, likely to lower suspicion. Police are now probing if other such “silent partners” are hiding in the city’s residential pockets as the gang attempts to regroup ahead of the civic elections.