A joint team by the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad of their Jharkhand counterparts busted an improvised firearms manufacturing factory in a warehouse in front of a marriage hall in Bokaro.

Two persons were arrested during the raid. The team recovered six semi-finished pistols, nine pistol bodies, six pistol sliders, a lathe machine and several other items, including a grinding-polishing machine, 13 pistol barrel plates and ₹1 lakh in cash from the warehouse.

The arrested duo have been identified as Keshav Prasad, 35 and Praven
Kumar, 53.

“No one had a clue what went on inside the warehouse in front of the marriage hall located at Jaridih Uppar Bazar in Gandhinagara, Bokaro,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force said.

“This was the 18th joint operation with the neighbouring states in the last three years, based on specific intelligence by the STF,” he added.

Investigators said that of the two arrested, Praven hails from Munger in Bihar.

Multiple police raids over the last few years across parts of Munger have allegedly forced manufacturers to shift their bases from Bihar to the neighbouring state of Jharkhand, which shares borders with Bengal, police officers said.

Senior police officers said that the statements of some of those arrested earlier
for allegedly supplying arms to dealers in Bengal revealed that arms made in Jharkhand were finding their way to Calcutta.

The makers from Munger were in demand in some of the illegal firearms units that came up in Jharkhand, they added.

Last month, the STF busted an illegal firearms manufacturing unit in Dhanbad with the help of their counterparts in Jharkhand Police and arrested five persons.

“The joint raids are aimed at neutralising the manufacturing units in Jharkhand from where the improvised firearms reach Calcutta and its adjoining areas,” the officer said.