Kolkata Police STF busts illegal arms factory in Dhanbad; 5 arrested with large cache of weapons

Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF), working jointly with Jharkhand STF and Mahuda Police Station, conducted a raid on an illegal arms manufacturing factory in Singra Basti village, located in the Mahuda police jurisdiction of Dhanbad district, Jharkhand. The raid took place on Thursday and resulted in the arrest of five individuals involved in the production of illegal firearms. Among the arrested is Murshid Ansari, the co-owner of the factory and resident of the same village.

During the raid, the police recovered a large quantity of firearms and manufacturing equipment. Items seized include four finished illegal pistols, 10 semi-finished pistols, seven finished magazines, 22 semi-finished magazines, nine live cartridges, seven vice machines, two drilling machines, one grinding and polishing machine, along with a significant amount of recoiling springs, magazine springs, iron bars, and other raw materials used for weapons production. The presence of both finished and semi-finished weapons indicates that the factory was engaged in multiple stages of arms manufacturing.

The arrested individuals are from both Jharkhand and Bihar states. Besides Murshid Ansari, the other four accused—Md. Sabbir, Md. Mustafa alias Mussu, Md. Mister, and Md. Parvez—are residents of Munger district, Bihar, and are reported to be professional arms manufacturers. Their ages range from 30 to 47 years. Authorities stated that these individuals have been involved in illegal arms production for an extended period.

Following the arrests, a case has been registered at Mahuda Police Station under several sections of the Indian Arms Act, specifically sections 25(1B)(a), 25(1A), 25(1AA), 26(1), and 26(2). Police are currently interrogating the accused to determine the distribution network for the manufactured weapons and to identify other individuals or groups involved in the illegal arms trade linked to this factory.

The Kolkata Police STF described this operation as a significant action against the interstate illegal arms network. Further raids are planned as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle the entire manufacturing and supply chain associated with these illegal weapons. The investigation is active, focusing on tracing the movement of these arms and disrupting the network.