A threat call to blow up the Kolkata airport and the recovery of a hidden arms factory tended to keep the Bengal Police on its toes the entire Wednesday.
lending more credence to a fast building perception that Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal was displacing Bihar in what they called “achieving self-sufficiency in manufacturing arms” for gangsters, the police on Wednesday busted an arms-factory at Maheshtala in southern fringes of Kolkata.
The police raid yielded 101 firearms including sophisticated 9mm pistols, one-shotter pistols and pipe guns. This apart a whopping 9 kgs of explosives were recovered from the underground arms factory that worked behind the veneer of a tailor-shop and a grocery store.
The owner of the premises is being questioned. The police arrested one Aftab Hussein of Bhagalpur in Bihar with four other local history-sheeters, officials said adding the lead was provided by one Salim an arms smuggler who was apprehended a few days ago.
Most arms were exported to Metiaburz, Garden Reach and other notorious places of Kolkata, sources said adding consignments were also sent to destinations outside the city and even the State.
“The shop was located at Rabindranagar,” South 24 Parganas SP Sunil Chowdhury said adding the modus operandi was simple.
“The accused while manufacturing arms suppressed the sounds by playing songs on loud-speakers at high volume. This was done to avoid suspicion among the locals.”
Maheshtala is a municipal township and a satellite town of Kolkata barely 20 km off the State capital.