Kolkata: The particular job pressure (STF) of the West Bengal police arrested 5 individuals between Friday and Sunday in reference to a probe into suspected siphoning of ammunition meant for licensed firearms homeowners to criminals, officers concerned within the probe mentioned.
Solely homeowners of licensed firearms can purchase ammunition from authorised gun outlets they usually can’t purchase as a lot ammunition as they need. (Representational picture)
N C Daw and Firm, a century-old gun store situated inside 200 metres of the Kolkata police headquarters at Lalbazar, was searched and sealed on Saturday night, hours after certainly one of its staff was arrested.
“The home of Haji Rashid Molla, a businessman residing at Jibantala in South 24 Parganas district, was raided on Friday and 190 rounds of 7.65 mm pistol cartridge made by the Indian Ordnance Factory was seized from the house along with a 12-bore shotgun and nine shells meant for the weapon,” an official mentioned, requesting anonymity.
Asique Iqbal Gazi and Abdul Salim Gazi, who’re residents of Hasnabad in North 24 Parganas district and Jayanta Dutta, an worker of N C Daw and Firm have been arrested on Saturday.
Farooque Mallick, a fish dealer, was arrested from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas on Sunday and a 12-bore shotgun was seized from him as nicely.
“While Haji Rashid Molla claimed that he has a license for the 12-bore shotgun seized from his home, none of the suspects could account for the 190 rounds of pistol ammunition. These cartridges are used at random these days in improvised semi-automatic pistols criminals carry. Gunsmiths in Bengal and Bihar’s Munger can make such pistols with basic tools and lathe machines but ammunition cannot be produced without modern machines that only ordnance factories have,” the officer added.
“Only owners of licensed firearms can buy ammunition from authorised gun shops. But the licencees cannot buy as much ammunition as they want. There is an annual quota set by the Union home ministry. It is apparent that ammunition meant for licencees is somehow reaching criminals,” an officer from the Kolkata police, which helps the state STF within the investigation, mentioned.
Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Verma refused to touch upon the probe.
“The raids are being carried out by the Bengal police STF. They will comment. I should not say anything. Kolkata police have shared some information with them,” Verma advised the media.
Dutta’s arrest led the STF workforce to the gun store which was searched on Saturday and sealed. The homeowners of the gun store have been requested to look earlier than the investigators on Monday. Since it’s suspected that Dutta carried the ammunition to Jibantala, the store’s inventory registers have been seized.
“Whenever a license holder buys ammunition, the details are entered into the register. The Ams Act department of the Kolkata police checks the stock registers of all gun shops in the city regularly,” a Kolkata police official mentioned.
The store homeowners prevented the media and made no assertion.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) focused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as Asique Iqbal Gazi, Abdul Salim Gazi and Farooque Mallick have been discovered to be employees of the ruling occasion.
“(Chief minister) Mamata Banerjee’s inefficiency as an administrator surface every day. She has turned Bengal into a shopping mall for gun runners. You may find people shopping for AK-47 rifles as well,” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar mentioned.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh brushed apart the allegations.
“The very fact that police are carrying out an Investigaton and making arrests prove that the administration is vigilant,” mentioned Ghosh.