Kolkata: Police nab arms trafficker at Sealdah, seize cache of illegal weapons
Telegraph | 18 March 2025
The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police arrested a man on Monday morning from Sealdah railway station after six improvised guns and eight cartridges and firearms were seized from his possession.
The accused, Hasan Sheikh from Malda, had allegedly sourced the firearms from Mansingh, Bihar to Kaliachak in Malda and then boarded the Hate Bazare Express to reach Kolkata. He was apprehended around 5.30 am.
"We had information about possible arms trafficking through the Sealdah route. Our officers were alert and after proper search, this person was arrested following the seizure. We are questioning him,” an officer from the STF said.
The country-made weapons were manufactured in Bihar’s Khagaria district, according to reports.
The accused will be presented in court on Monday.
Earlier, in November 2024, Bengal chief minister had highlighted the problems of arms trafficking in the state.
“We have inputs that arms are reaching Bengal through the railway network,” the CM had said during an administrative meeting at the state headquarters.
Mamata had also proposed a meeting between the Centre and railway authorities.
Much of the arms that come into Bengal are smuggled from the illegal gun manufacturing units in Bihar.
Earlier this month, Bihar Police’s additional director general, Kundan Krishnan, told Times of India in an exclusive interview that Bihar has long been a major supplier of illegal arms.
Krishnan, also mentioned, the police force would intensify efforts to curb the illegal supply of cartridges and dismantle the supply chain of country-made weapons.
The STF’s recent operation highlights the menace of firearms smuggling into West Bengal.