The special task force (STF) of the state police arrested an illegal firearms dealer from the Permanent Township (PTS) crossing area under the Baishnabnagar police station limits in Malda district on Thursday early morning.
Eight improvised firearms were seized from Sanjit Kumar Tiwary, 38, of Bhagalpur district in Bihar.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the firearms were brought to Malda to be sold in the grey market.
"The person deals in illegal firearms and operates in multiple states,” said a source in the STF.
Later in the day, Tiwary was handed over to the police.
A case has been registered against him.
Police sources said improvised firearms, which are made in the Munger district of Bihar, are often used by criminals in nearby Malda.
"We are trying to identify the prospective buyers of firearms. The person will be interrogated to gather more information about the trade,” said a police officer.
Fake notes seized
A police team of the Kumbhira police outpost under the Baishnabnagar police station in Malda district arrested Sentu aka Sahud Sheikh, 19, on Thursday with fake Indian currency of face value of ₹3.92 lakh.
The notes were in denominations of 500 in eight bundles, police sources said.
“The youth had been carrying the fake ₹500-rupee notes in eight bundles. We have initiated a probe to know whether he acts as a carrier of fake currency or is associated with a racket that circulates fake currency notes in the region,” a police officer said, adding interrogation was on.