Security at IIT Bombay’s Powai campus went into overdrive after a routine hostel frisking unearthed five live 7.65mm cartridges from a black bag, linked to a 23-year-old Bihari student. The discovery followed a tip-off amid a heated altercation, leading Pawai Police to invoke the Arms Act.
Details emerged from Hostel No. 1’s ground floor, where Suraj Dubey (Room 93) and Aman (Room 89) clashed over cash. Guards pacified the duo, but alcohol scents from Dubey and Apurva Mishra necessitated searches. The jackpot: ‘KF 7.65’ ammo in Dubey’s bag, worth ₹3,500 on the black market.
Interrogations peeled back layers—Dubey blamed Mishra; Mishra named Sarvottam Anand Satishchandra Chaudhary from Bihar’s Samastipur. Chaudhary cracked, revealing a purchase from Munger, epicenter of country-made guns.
Police are dissecting motives: self-defense amid campus rivalries? Or ties to organized crime? A special unit hunts the vendor, while records check for prior distributions. IIT administration, stunned, vows stricter entry protocols and awareness drives.
This isn’t just a isolated bust; it signals potential infiltration of illicit arms into ivory towers. With India’s tech talent pool at stake, the fallout could spur nationwide campus security overhauls. Stay tuned as leads from Bihar point to wider implications, testing the resilience of premier academia against urban underbellies.