Overview
- West Bengal’s Special Task Force publicly announced on October 12 that it has dismantled an organised arms trafficking network operating across West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand and that the probe remains active.
- The multi-stage operation began on September 25 when officers arrested Md. Farhan (alias Musan) in Durgapur after recovering two pistols, two magazines and 20 live rounds from his possession.
- STF follow-up raids and financial tracing led to the arrests of Md. Shahnawaz Alam (Munger), Pawan Kumar Singh (Jamui) and Ganesh Rana (Hazaribagh) during the 17-day operation.
- Police seized additional firearms, ammunition and about Rs. 3.90 lakh in cash that they say is likely proceeds from illegal weapons sales, and those items are being examined as evidence.
- Investigators are now mapping money flows and supply routes to identify more associates and to locate weapon suppliers or clandestine manufacturing hubs, steps that could trigger further arrests and raids in the region.