Kolkata Police's Special Task Force Seizes Firearms from Minor Ahead of Elections
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Kolkata, April 8 - The Special Task Force of Kolkata Police successfully seized five firearms from a minor from Bihar on Strand Road in central Kolkata on Wednesday.
Among the recovered weapons were two 7 mm pistols, along with 40 cartridges. The 17-year-old suspect hails from Nalanda district in Bihar.
The police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding why the minor was in possession of these firearms.
Acting on a tip-off from a confidential source, the Special Task Force conducted a raid on the Strand Road area, where they apprehended the teenager near a public toilet.
Upon inspection, they uncovered a total of five firearms, which included three country-made guns and the aforementioned two pistols.
Additionally, four magazines were found, along with 18 cartridges of 8 mm and 22 cartridges of 7.65 mm. The authorities have since confiscated all firearms and ammunition.
A police officer reported that after the weapons were recovered, they interrogated the minor about their origins, but they received no satisfactory explanations.
The Special Task Force is actively seeking to gather further details about this incident.
This isn't the first time a link between Bihar and firearms in West Bengal has surfaced. Previously, police had raided an illegal arms manufacturing facility in Bihar. Investigations regarding the sources of the weapons confiscated on Wednesday are underway.
Furthermore, it is noteworthy that in the lead-up to the assembly elections, large sums of money were seized from a car in the Tollygunge area of south Kolkata last Sunday.
On Tuesday, police intercepted four separate incidents where they recovered over Rs 57 lakh. Concurrently, firearms were also confiscated from Strand Road in Kolkata.
Officials are probing the intended purpose for which the firearms were being transported and whether they were meant to be transferred to someone.