Bowbazar area: State police STF seals gun shop; discrepancies found in sale and stock

Kolkata: In a major development in the illegal firearms and ammunition smuggling, state police’s Special Task Force (STF) has sealed another arms selling shop recently in Bowbazar area.

Earlier, police had conducted a raid at a gun shop near Lalbazar which the STF learnt after busting an arms racket in Jibantala of South 24-Parganas during February.

According to sources, during investigation of the arms and ammunition smuggling from a century-old gun shop in the city, STF officials came up with the name of another gun shop located on BB Ganguly Street. Accordingly, on March 28, a team of state police STF raided the said shop. Police found discrepancies in the sale and stock of the store. “We have sealed the shop and seized several documents such as sale register, stock register etc. The documents are getting checked,” said an STF officer.

Sources informed that STF officials are likely to visit the shop again for certain verification purposes. The physical stock will be matched with the register. STF officials suspect that a section of the employees of such gun shops are involved in a nexus. STF is trying to ascertain whether any arms and ammunition were smuggled from any other such gun shops in the city.

Earlier, in February, STF had arrested a total of five persons, including an employee of the firearms shop. A huge quantity of ammunition and firearms were seized. The smuggling of arms and ammunition from the registered gun seller came to the knowledge of the police after two raids were conducted in Jibantala of South 24-Parganas and in Minakhan of North 24-Parganas. During the raid, more than 200 bullets and a double barrel gun were seized. Initially four persons were arrested.

While probing, police had found that the bullets were manufactured by the Ordnance Factory. The investigation later led the cops to visit the gun shop near Lalbazar from where an employee of the said shop was arrested after major discrepancies appeared in the stock and sale.