Excise officials discover gun factory, operating from liquor warehouse near Patna

An illegal gun factory was unearthed in a village near here on Thursday during an Excise Department raid, said an official.

The Excise Department sleuths discovered the gun factory while conducting the raid on a tip off that some persons of Jivanchak village under Deedarganj police station in rural Patna were were involved in illegal liquor smuggling in the dry state, he said.

The raid also led to the seizure of nearly 850 litres of liquor, kept in 95 boxes, and arrest of a 46-year-old woman, Baby Devi, said Additional Excise Inspector Prahlad Prasad Bhushan.

He said the raiding team "was stunned" to discover a mini gun factory operating from the warehouse where the liquor was kept.

"A country made rifle, two pistols, ammunition and equipment used for the manufacture of these guns have also been seized, the excise official said.

Baby Devi was involved in the business along with his husband Anil Singh, two sons Rajesh and Ajit and associates Manish Yadav, Baskit Yadav and Raju Yadav. A search is on for them, Bhushan added.

Sale and consumption of liquor was completely banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.