In drive against violence, cops seize 12 arms, arrest 8

Patashpur/Kolkata: As part of its crackdown on post-poll violence, Bengal STF and local police dismantled an interstate trafficking network, recovering 12 firearms and 150 rounds of ammunition in raids across the state. As many as eight people were arrested.In Asansol, Firoz Hasan and Mohammad Sonu were caught with firearms and remanded to seven days of custody. In Purulia, cops intercepted three Jharkhand-based operatives — Rahul Tanti, Amit Toppo and Nayan Bauri — in Jhalda with a firearm and ammunition. In East Midnapore, cops arrested two and recovered two illegal firearms.According to senior police officials who were part of the Patashpur raids in East Midnapore, a team raided suspected hideouts in Barbaghiya and Khetrapal villages, recovering two country-made guns and arrested Haripada Jana and Panchanan Das.Investigators are currently interrogating the accused to ascertain the source of the firearms and to determine whether they were procured for any specific criminal conspiracy. Raids will continue in the districts, said sources.