KOLKATA: An illegal arms manufacturing unit operating from an underground chamber beneath a paper plate factory was busted in Bihar’s Purnea district, police said on Tuesday. The concealed “mini gun factory” at Haripur village under Damdaha police station limits was exposed during a joint operation by Kolkata Police STF and Bihar STF on Sunday evening, officials said. Police said the underground setup was specially designed to hide the illegal activity and suppress noise generated during weapon manufacturing. Five people were arrested in the initial raid. They were identified as brothers Mithu Kumar (28) and Gabbar Rai (36), owners of the premises, along with Md Anawar Khan (48) and Md Aftab Alam alias Ladan (35), both from Munger. During the operation, police recovered five semi-finished pistols, five pistol bodies, four pistol butts, and several machines allegedly used to manufacture improvised firearms. A large quantity of raw materials and tools were also seized. Further investigation led to the arrest of Suraj Kumar (35), identified as the alleged mastermind of the racket, who was later apprehended from Munger. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
