BIRBHUM: The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police has seized a large cache of explosives from an unauthorised premises at Baroa Gopalpur village under the Murarai police station limits of Birbhum district, and arrested two persons, an STF official said.

Source: Nation Press

The recovered materials include 1,150 gelatin sticks, 989 detonators and 12,000 metres of detonating cord, according to the STF official. A formal case has been registered and further investigation is underway. The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the West Bengal STF has launched a parallel inquiry into the source of the materials and what they were intended for, officials said.

1,150gelatin sticks seized in the Murarai raid
989detonators seized, STF official said
12,000 metresdetonating cord recovered from the unauthorised premises

The two arrested men have been identified as Md. Reza Sekh alias Guda, of Rajgram, and Mukesh Singh, of Tilpara in Suri, both apprehended during the raid, according to the STF official. Their alleged links to the cache are being probed, and the allegations against them are yet to be tested in court.

Bengali news channel News Bengal 365, reporting the same STF operation, said the explosives were recovered in the Murarai area and quoted STF officers as saying such materials and firearms were allegedly used for smuggling linked to coal and stone mines and were brought in from Bihar and Jharkhand — claims the investigation is yet to establish.

Source: News Bengal 365

21 firearms recovered in West Burdwan

In a concurrent but separate operation, the STF recovered 21 illegal firearms — six long muskets, four 7mm pistols and 11 pipe guns — along with 65 rounds of ammunition from the Pandabeswar police station area in West Burdwan's Jamuria, under the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate, on Tuesday and Thursday, the official said. A man identified as S.K. Sahajan, described by officials as a history-sheeter allegedly linked to the illegal coal trade, was arrested in that case.

"The recoveries were made from the Pandabeswar Police Station area, under Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate on Tuesday and Thursday. This is in continuation of the earlier two arrests of Khairul Alam with two illegal firearms and Md Shamsher with 15 illegal firearms. A total of 38 firearms and 122 rounds of ammunition have been seized in this case. Further investigation and raids are underway," the STF official said.