The Special Task Force of Kolkata Police has busted an arms-supplying racket involving officers from the Government-owned Ishapore Rifle Factory. Sophisticated weapons manufactured in the country’s one of the oldest ordnance factories were sold off to Maoists from Bihar and even Nepal, STF sources said.
Six persons including two guards and two officers of the factory were arrested from Babughat area of Kolkata while they were “supplying consignments” sources said adding arms were also smuggled out to other States and even criminal gangs.
The STF arrested a junior works manager (JWM) of Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI) for allegedly smuggling out parts of 7.62 mm SlRs and 5.56 mm Insas rifles out of the factory and selling them to illegal arms manufacturers, possibly from Bihar, sources maintained.
“The racket started in 2008 but got more active after 2013,” senior STF officers said. They supplied sophisticated self-loading rifles, Insas rifles, pistols to the Maoists officials said adding the weapons were de-assembled for easy transit. The factory dates back to 1787, sources say.
Finished weapons which were rejected for use by the forces were then smuggled out and sold off to the leftist ultras, sources said. “We have arrested officials named Sushanta Basu and Sukanta. More arrests may follow after investigation,” Murlidhar Sharma, IPS and in charge of the STF said on Monday.