Locals said they saw the man showing off the gun, which triggered panic among a few

BENGALURU: Ramanagara police are on the lookout for a man, who on March 4 was seen brandishing a ‘pistol’ from a car he was co-passenger in, while travelling on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

Police are contemplating registering a suo motu case after a video of the man — yet to be identified — flaunting the weapon with his hand stretched outside the window went viral on Thursday.

The Arms Act , 1959, allows cases to be registered under certain circumstances. Ramanagara SP Ramesh Banoth told TOI: “We can take up a suo motu case once we verify all the facts.” Police, however, confirmed that while the car crossed Ramanagara sometime in the day, there was no firing by the man. “There are no reports of him threatening anybody either,” police said.

The video shows the man seated next to the driver in a Maruti Esteem (KA 02-Z-7031) going towards Mysuru and displaying the pistol. Cops are yet to identify the driver too, and said the video was shot by an unidentified man who was in another car on the same highway.

“Whether the pistol is real or not, displaying weapons in public is illegal and attracts punishment. It creates unwanted panic among the public. I have instructed the inspector to verify the facts and also find out who owns the car and details of the occupants,” Banoth said.

Locals said they saw the man showing off the gun, which triggered panic among a few. “What if he fired at somebody? Such acts are condemnable and police should take stern action,” Nataraj, a resident, said.

What Arms Act says

The Act allows arrest of persons conveying arms etc. under suspicious circumstances. Its provisions read: “When any person is found carrying or conveying any arms or ammunition whether covered by a licence or not, in such manner or under such circumstances as to afford just grounds of suspicion that the same is/are being carried by him with intent to use them, or that the same may be used, for any unlawful purpose, any magistrate, police officer or other public servant or any person employed or working on a railway, aircraft, vessel, vehicle or any other means of conveyance, may arrest him without warrant and seize from him such arms or ammunition.”

