In a significant development, the West Bengal police recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from the residence of a local Trinamool Congress leader in Murshidabad’s Baharampur town on Saturday. The raid was conducted at the residence of Papai Ghosh, the Baharampur town president of the Trinamool Congress Youth Wing, who had been absconding since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state following the recent assembly polls. Ghosh, who had various charges against him during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led state government, including a marauder charge in 2017, had surrendered at a district court in Murshidabad earlier this month.
He was subsequently arrested by the police on August 14. During marathon questioning, Ghosh confessed to the presence of arms and ammunition at his residence, leading to the raid. The recovered items include seven firearms, five magazines, and 186 rounds of bullets.
The firearms recovered from Ghosh’s residence comprise two 9 mm pistols, three 7.65 mm pistols, and two single-shot pipe guns. This is not an isolated incident, as the police also arrested two persons with firearms and ammunition in a similar incident in Murshidabad on Saturday. The two persons, identified as Jabbar Mondal and Alamgir Sheikh, were found to be in possession of three firearms, six magazines, and 40 rounds of bullets.
The police are questioning them to determine the purpose of carrying such a large consignment of arms and ammunition and to whom they were supposed to deliver it. The BJP government in West Bengal has been actively involved in the recovery of illegal arms and ammunition in sensitive areas of the state, including Malda, Murshidabad, and other India-Bangladesh bordering districts. The recent recoveries are part of the state government’s efforts to crack down on illegal arms and ammunition in the state.
The police are likely to continue their investigations to uncover the source and intended use of the recovered arms and ammunition.
