Three arrested with huge cache of arms in WB

An arms racket was busted near here today with the seizure of a huge cache of weapons and ammunitions and the arrest of three men, police said.

The gang members were crossing the Matla Bridge in South 24 Parganas district with the arms hoard when their car was intercepted by police, a senior officer said.

Twelve one-shotter pipe guns, nine live ammunitions and four mobile phones were seized from their possession, he told reporters here.

"Acting on a tip-off, officers from Canning police station and a special protection force from Baruipur in the district intercepted the gang and seized the arms from their custody. The gang was headed to Basanti area of the district from Jalangi in Murshidabad, around 300km away," he stated.

During questioning, the three arrested men - Anwar Mehebub Mondal, Rubel Mondal and driver Jhantu Paul - confessed that they had supplied arms to dealers in South 24 Parganas on previous occasions, the officer said.

All three of them were produced before the Court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate at Alipore, which remanded them in police custody for seven days.

"We are trying to find out more about the gang, their modus operandi, links and associations in the district," the officer added.