The Ichhapore Rifle Factory launched a revolver, about the size of an iPhone 6 and weighing 250g (a little more than three regular packets of Maggi), for civilians on Tuesday.

The 0.22 revolver - 5.5-inch in length - is shorter than the six-chambered Colt 0.32 used by Feluda but can kill a person within 23ft.

"We had manufactured a 0.22 revolver around seven years ago but realised that there was a demand for something smaller and lighter... something that would fit in a person's trouser pocket or in a woman's purse," said A.K. Prabhakar, the director-general, Ordnance Factories, and chairman of Ordnance Factory Board. "This new revolver can be carried easily and is easier to shoot."

Women can easily carry the gun because of its lightweight, an official said. The gun, priced at Rs 35,000, excluding taxes, can be loaded with eight bullets, he said. Each bullet will cost Rs 22.

The 112-year-old factory in Barrackpore's Ichhapore, about 28km from the city centre, manufactures guns for the military as well as for civilians.

The revolver, named Nidar (fearless in Hindi), is the first to be manufactured at the factory since 2014, when it had launched an upgraded version of the 0.32 pistol, also for civilian use.

The gun will be available to all arms dealers as well as individuals if they have trade or arms licence, the official said.

A person needs to apply for an arms licence at the deputy commissioner's office with address and identity proofs, a Calcutta police officer said. He/she has to also explain the need for the firearm. Cops would run a background check on the applicant before he/she appears for interviews by the licensing authority and the deputy commissioner, following which he/she maybe granted a licence.