Four improvised country-made pipe guns and several rounds of ammunition were recovered from a house in Khardah following a raid by officers from Kamarhati and Khardah police stations on Monday night.

The house belongs to Nayem Ansari who was arrested early on Tuesday from an acquaintance’s house on Elias Road in Agarpara.

He is allegedly close to some Trinamool leaders in Panihati and Khardah.

The Trinamool leadership in North 24-Parganas said Ansari, in his late 40s, was not a party member.

A section of BJP leaders, however, alleged that Ansari was close to the ruling party.

“Four improvised country-made pipe guns along with four rounds of 8mm, five rounds of 0.38mm, three rounds of 7.62mm and one round of 0.318mm nitro ammunition were seized during the joint raid,” an officer of Barrackpore commissionerate said.

“We will find out from where these arms were sourced. A team is also checking his criminal antecedents.”

Ansari’s neighbours in Khardah said he ran a car-service business and had rented out a portion of his house.

“We had no clue about what he stored inside. It was only when a team of police officers turned up on Monday night and seized arms and ammunition that we realised that he was probably into some illegal arms trade,” said one of Ansari’s neighbours, who did not want to be named.

Ansari’s arrest came within days of arrest of a Trinamool Congress councillor and his two aides for their alleged involvement in storing explosives at an apartment in the Bashbagan area of Titagarh. They were arrested after a blast took place at the house on May 19.

Arrested councillor Md Riyajuddin alias Arman Mondal, 48, represents Ward 4 of the Titagarh Municipality.

Officers of the Barrackpore commissionerate said the joint team was set up to conduct the raid at Ansari’s house following a tip-off that arms were kept in his house.

“The entire area around the house was cordoned off. We have not seen a police raid of such a scale in recent times here,” said a neighbour.