Kolkata, Nov. 5 -- In one of the largest coordinated crackdowns against illegal syndicates this year, the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police has neutralised an interstate arms and explosives network spanning Birbhum and West Burdwan districts.
The twin raids, executed between November 3 and November 5, yielded a massive haul of industrial explosives, live ammunition and firearms manufactured in Bihar.
Acting on an intelligence input, a team of the STF raided a hideout in Barua Gopalpur village, under the Murarai Police Station jurisdiction in Birbhum in the early hours of Thursday. During the operation, cops recovered a staggering 1,150 gelatin sticks, nearly 989 detonators, and 12,000 metre of detonating cord packed into 32 industrial wire rolls.
Two key suspects, identified as Md. Reza Sheikh alias Guddu of Rajgram and Mukesh Singh of Tilpara in Suri, were arrested at the scene. It is suspected that the commercial-grade explosives were smuggled across the border from Jharkhand and Bihar. The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has joined the investigation to determine if the consignment was intended for illegal mining operations or other malicious sabotage activities.
Simultaneously, a parallel STF team struck the coal-belt of West Burdwan, focusing on the Jamuria and Pandabeswar sectors under the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
Targeted raids in Pandabeswar and Jamuria areas on Tuesday and Thursday led to the recovery of 21 illegal firearms and 65 rounds of ammunition hidden on a property belonging to an anti social identified as Sheikh Shahjahan who was arrested in connection with an earlier case.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.