Police arrested a youth here on Wednesday with four 7.65mm pistols, eight magazines and 130 rounds of live ammunition while he was allegedly attempting to smuggle the weapons to Bangladesh through a racket.
Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended Sohan Reza, 32, a resident of Jalangi, shortly after he got off a bus near the Behrampore stadium in the morning. Preliminary probe revealed that the firearms came from Munger in Bihar and were intended to be smuggled to Bangladesh.
Reza was produced in Behrampore court on Wednesday, where police sought a seven-day custody for interrogation.
Authorities have been alerted to a growing influx of illegal firearms into Murshidabad from Bihar, with many of them being smuggled into Bangladesh. While police frequently intercept arms smugglers in the Farakka and Samserganj, some manage to slip through, only to be apprehended later in Sagardighi or Behrampore. Some evade capture.
According to police sources, most of these weapons originate from Munger, a known illegal arms hub in Bihar.
Inspector-in-charge of Behrampore police station Uday Shankar Ghosh said the arrested smuggler had deliberately avoided the Behrampore bus stand and police station, instead attempting to cross the city via the stadium to reach Jalangi.
The district's roadway connection to Munger has made it a key transit point for arms trafficking.
In February alone, Behrampore police recovered eight firearms, while Jangipur police district seized multiple weapons from Farakka and Samserganj. Two youths from Tamil Nadu were arrested in Samserganj with firearms, adding another dimension to the smuggling network.
Farakka SDPO Aminul Islam Khan said: "Most illegal firearms entering Murshidabad originate from Munger in Bihar, with Farakka and Shamsherganj serving as key entry points. The western side of Samserganj borders Jharkhand, while Farakka shares borders with both Bihar and Jharkhand. Given this strategic location, illegal arms traffickers use these routes to enter Murshidabad." The police have intensified efforts to intercept weapons, he said.
