Police on Friday seized over 200 crude bombs and 19 firearms, apart from several rounds of live ammunition, during a special drive across the state to unearth illegal arms and ammunition.
The drive was launched at the directive of chief minister Mamata Banerjee during her visit to Bogtui near Rampurhat in Birbhum district on Thursday.
The maximum number of bombs were found at Keshpur in West Midnapore, followed by Margram in Birbhum district, where 100 and 60 bombs, respectively, were found kept hidden inside bushes.
Recovery of illegal arms and bombs was low in the Bijpur-Barrackpore belt in North 24-Parganas, where political violence was quite frequent. Till evening, only one improvised firearm was seized and three goons arrested from Jagaddal where several incidents of murders, bomb attacks and firing were reported.
The police nabbed the trio from Prabhati Sangha football ground near Shyamnagar Nehru Market.
Officials of Barrackpore Commissionerate, however, instructed police stations to accelerate raids to avoid any type of embarrassment for the state government.
Friday was the first day of the 10-day special drive undertaken by the police.
Acting on a tip-off, West Midnapore police began combing a bush in the Dhalhara gram panchayat of Keshpur and spotted the bombs that were later taken away by the bomb disposal squad.
In Birbhum’s Margram, known for stockpile of bombs and located barely 6km from Bogtui, the police spotted 60 crude bombs kept hidden in a bush. The police later defused the bombs, but no one was arrested.
In Nadia, Ranaghat police district authorities seized seven firearms, additional superintendent of police Ruptantar Sengupta said.
On the other hand, Krishnagar police district authorities have seized four illegal firearms in Chapra, Kaliganj, Nakashipara areas and also recovered two rounds of live ammunition. Three persons were arrested. Around 14 bombs were also seized from Chapra’s Bahirgachi village on Thursday night.
Murshidabad district police recovered four pistols from Nawada, Kandi and Sagarpara and arrested four persons. Jangipur district police recovered 14 crude bombs which were apparently left abandoned by the goons.
Habra police conducted a raid in the Bira-Nabapally area on Thursday night and arrested alleged arms supplier Kiran Biswas from his home. The police have recovered one pistol and two rounds of ammunition. In a separate raid, the police arrested Prasanta Loodh from Banipur funeral ghat and recovered a pistol.
Four pipe guns have been seized at Chanchal in Malda and Raiganj in North Dinajpur. Four persons were arrested from the two places.
(Additional reporting by Alamgir Hossain, Anshuman Phadikar, Snehamoy Chakraborty and Siliguri bureau)
