A man and a woman posing as a couple were arrested from a bus near the Dankuni toll plaza on the outskirts of Kolkata early on Monday after police allegedly found 40 spare parts of improvised 7mm and 9mm pistols on them.
A third person who was allegedly accompanying the man and the woman was arrested, too.
The Kolkata-bound bus was from Dhanbad. Officers of the Special Task Force of the state police carried out the search following a specific tip-off that arms were being smuggled into the state.
The police have learnt that spares were being brought from Munger in Bihar and were meant for customers in Garden Reach in west Kolkata.
“The parts were deliberately kept unassembled to avoid suspicion,” said an officer.
“We are yet to find out who had sent this consignment. The three arrested have not divulged much till now,” an STF officer said.
The police have learnt that the man and the woman had boarded the bus claiming to be a couple.
They were allegedly carrying a huge bag, which they kept under the seat.
“The conductor asked them to keep the bag in the luggage space at the rear of the bus but they persuaded him to allow them to keep it under the seat,” the officer said.
Bear in hill
Siliguri: A Himalayan black bear that had sneaked into the Darjeeling town, apparently a week ago, was rescued by foresters of Darjeeling wildlife division on Monday morning.