In what could rather send a chill down the electorate spine, police on Tuesday stumbled upon a network of arms factories at Bankra in Howrah district barely days ahead of the lok Sabha by-elections and weeks in advance of the ensuing panchayat elections.
Curiously the raid was conducted not by the Bengal Police but their Delhi counterpart, who trailed a Munger-arm-smuggling case, enlisted the help of local Domjur police station and raided four workshops, crammed with equipment, finished and unfinished country pistols and numerous ammunitions.
The houses were rented about four months ago and each workshop manufactured about 100 guns a day apparently to cater to the needs of the political toughies, who had just begun to be active ahead of the rural elections through out the State.
The artisans were ‘imported’ as were the raw materials from Munger as transporting fire arms through Howrah and Sealdah stations of late had been difficult on account of increased RPF surveillance, sources said.
Delhi Police raided the places after getting lead from an arrested criminal Rustom from Munger in Bihar. Though Bengal Police was tight-lipped sources said Delhi sleuths were in the lookout for two local Trinamool Congress men in that connection.
The Tuesday raid could push the State Government further on the defensive in its spat with the State Election Commission that had been demanding 800 companies of Central forces to conduct peaceful polls.
Meanwhile, the left front on Tuesday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress for unleashing massive violence in Howrah and urged the Election Commission to take necessary steps to ensure free and fare bypolls.
“We have requested the Commission to take necessary measures as the TMC is taking recourse to violence and the voters and left workers are being threatened against taking part in the polls,” Bengal lF chairman Biman Bose said.