Bengal STF on high alert after arms recovery near city airport
The Statesman | 11 May 2025
Police have intensified security at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and its surrounding areas after receiving intelligence warnings about potential threats, arresting four suspected arms traffickers in a coordinated operation late Friday. Officials said the arrests were made by West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF) during a targeted search in Narayanpur, a northern suburb just outside the airport perimeter.
Acting on a tip-off, STF officers intercepted a vehicle allegedly transporting illegal firearms. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of one 7mm pistol, two country-made pipe guns, and 14 live cartridges, police said in a statement. The suspects, identified as Linkon Hossain, Bakibilla Gazi, Faruk Sardar, and Rajib Molla, are residents of various parts of North 24-Parganas district. Police suspect the weapons were sourced from the eastern state of Bihar and were to be sold locally. A case has been filed under the Arms Act, and investigators are probing whether the accused are part of a larger trafficking network. The operation came hours after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued an intelligence-based advisory prompting the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to enforce a five-tier security protocol at the airport.
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Surveillance has been increased using AI-driven monitoring tools, and perimeter checks have been intensified with 24/7 coordination involving national security agencies. Meanwhile, a separate high-value robbery in central Calcutta raised further concerns about urban security. On Friday, police arrested five individuals linked to the daylight theft in cash from a foreign exchange firm employee. The money was stolen from a taxi en route to a state-run bank, with assailants intercepting the vehicle and fleeing with the cash. The central home ministry has warned state governments of heightened risks amid growing geopolitical tensions with Pakistan. Home minister Amit Shah has reportedly empowered chief secretaries to enforce emergency security protocols. In West Bengal, which shares a long international border with Bangladesh, top state officials have rolled out enhanced checks across all districts. The state’s home secretary and chief secretary are said to be supervising the deployment of additional police personnel and coordinating inter-agency operations to prevent potential sabotage or terror-linked activities.