Kolkata, 18 February (H.S.) : The Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF), in coordination with Bihar Police, carried out a major operation on Tuesday evening, unearthing an illegal firearms manufacturing factory in Bhagalpur, Bihar, based on actionable intelligence.

STF DC IPS V. Soleman Neshakumar said on Wednesday that, following intelligence developed by the Kolkata Police STF, a joint team comprising Kolkata STF, Bihar STF, and Madhusudanpur Police conducted a raid at a house in Rahamatbagh, Kabripur, Bhagalpur. While the ground floor of the house operated as a spinning mill, the first floor was being used to illegally manufacture country-made firearms.

During the operation, five individuals were arrested, including one co-owner and four skilled arms makers. The arrested have been identified as Monazir (21), Shadab Ali alias Saddam (32), Aslam alias Tinku (41), Samsher Alam alias Chotu (36), and Shahanawaz (25).

Authorities recovered 20 semi-finished 7.65 mm pistols, eight pistol barrels, a lathe machine, two milling machines, a drill machine, a grinding and polishing machine, a hand grinder, and a large quantity of tools and raw materials from the site.

Police said the gang was manufacturing firearms under the cover of a spinning mill and suspected that the finished weapons were being supplied across various regions. Investigation is ongoing, and authorities are tracking other individuals connected to this network.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh