An ?alarming? increase in the trafficking of illegal arms has prompted Howrah Government Railway Police (GRP) to launch an offensive against rackets involved in such crimes.

According to data provided by Howrah GRP, between January and June this year, nine arrests have been made and 15 small to medium firearms and three rounds of bullets impounded in four cases. Fourteen people were arrested and four arms and three rounds of bullets were impounded in 2005.

?The figures indicate that the trade in illegal arms has increased in recent times,? said a senior GRP officer.

According to him, people involved in such activities take advantage of the huge crowd at Howrah station and the preoccupation of the GRP personnel with snatching and smuggling.

?We are faced with an unenviable task. Though our men do their best to stop criminals from carrying arms through Howrah station, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to stop such practices. It is not feasible to frisk everyone or open every item of luggage to look for arms,? he added.

The GRP will give special emphasis to trafficking of illegal firearms in the near future. ?We plan to constitute a special team to deal with such crimes,? the officer said.

Howrah GRP superintendent K. Jayaraman said: ?We will intensify our checking. We will also hold a meeting with top officers of the Railway Protection Force to enlist their help in tackling the carriers of illegal firearms.?

The GRP has to deal with two types of carriers, explained Howrah GRP inspector-in-charge Taj Mohammed. ?Some criminals carry arms for operations on the trains and elsewhere. There are others who carry arms to supply them to criminals. We will have to deal with both types of criminals.?

Another senior GRP official opined that the arms carriers primarily cater to criminals in Calcutta and its adjoining areas in the south.