Chandigarh, April 23 -- In a major bust, the Chandigarh police caught a Haryana-based gangster - allegedly the main supplier of illegal weapons to criminals, including the Lucky Patial and Bambiha gangs, active in the city - after a brief encounter near the Rally Ground in Sector 25 on Wednesday morning. This is the second encounter within the city this year. Earlier, two gangsters, wanted in a pharmacy firing case, were caught after a high-speed chase in Sector 39 on January 21. The accused caught in Wednesday's encounter was identified as Mukesh Gohana alias Gullu, an accused in two Arms Act cases in Mauli Jagran - one registered in 2021, and the other this year. In the 2021 case, he has been declared a proclaimed offender. He was shot in the leg after he opened fire at the police party. According to the police, they had arrested eight members of his gang on Tuesday night and recovered 14 pistols and 15 live cartridges from their possession. Their questioning led them to Gohana. Cops learnt that while Gohana resided in Sonepat, he was to visit his sister in Sector 25. Acting on this input, they laid a naka in the area. In the wee hours of the day, Gohana was spotted on foot near the Rally Ground. On seeing the cops, the gangster opened fire. He fired three rounds but missed his targets. In retaliation, the police party, led by inspector Satvinder, fired two shots, hitting Gohana in the leg. He was immediately arrested and taken to Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, for treatment. A 0.32 bore pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from him. Superintendent of police (SP, operations) Geetanjali Khandelwal said Gohana's arrest was part of an overall effort by the operations cell to dismantle the inter-state weapons' suppliers gang that had been arming various gangs active in the city. She said the gang had an elaborate network of footsoldiers, who would help them conceal the weapons. They used apps like Instagram and WhatsApp to communicate with thesefootsoldiers. Detailing the operation, SP Khandelwal said it all started with a team, led by inspector Harinder Singh Sekhon, arresting two gang members - Rahul alias Rally and Monu alias Kandu - from New Indira Colony, Manimajra. Rahul, who is named in five cases, including two under Arms Act, used to source the weapons from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. At the time of his arrest, he was found possessing three semi-automatic pistols and a desi katta. Monu was also caught with three semi-automatic pistols and three live cartridges. After their questioning, a Bambiha gang associate Govind alias Gaurav of Manimajra was also arrested with a country-made pistol. He was a drug addict and was trying to establish himself in the criminal world to make money. Inspector Satwinder's team arrested Aman alias Batak of Mohali near Sector 39 with a country-made pistol. Sanju alias Kancha was arrested near Maloya with a country pistol. Gurdeep Singh and Mony were arrested near Sector 26. Cops said that though this gang may not be directly involved in recent firing incidents, such as the one in Sector 9, where a property dealer was shot dead in broad daylight, they may have provided logistical support, such as sourcing weapons....