In a significant development in the run-up to the Assembly elections in the state, four miscreants, including three from Bihar, were arrested with a large cache of arms and ammunition in Siliguri.
Deputy Commissioner of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, Zone-II, West, Kunwar Bhushan Singh, said that police acted on intelligence inputs and arrested the four.
Police seized seven 7-mm pistols, 91 rounds of live cartridges and 14 magazines after conducting raids at different areas at Matigara, including Phansidewa More, last night, sources said. “Preliminary investigation suggested they are habitual offenders. We have started investigations,” Mr Singh said today.
Police first arrested a resident of Kalimpong, Rahul Trikhatri, with one 7-mm pistol and 14 cartridges. “He is a habitual offender and was previously arrested in illegal arms and Narcotics Drugs cases. After interrogating him, police came to know of a possible arms gang from Bihar. Later, three residents of Bhagalpur, including a father and son duo, were arrested. Six more 7-mm pistols, 77 rounds of live cartridges and 12 magazines were recovered,” a source said.
The three persons have been identified Suman Chowdhury, 70, and his 20-year-old son Bhanu Kumar, and Md Saddam Alam, residents of Bhagalpur in Bihar.