Huge cache of firearms from Monotosh's houses recovered

Kolkata: Police have recovered a huge cache of firearms from the houses of Monotosh De, the arms dealer who was arrested along with the activists of Ansar Bangla Team (ABT).

Monotosh was arrested on Wednesday from Kolkata Station when he went to deal with the ABT activists Samsad and Riyazul to supply fire arms. He had also carried some firearms as samples to show them.

Later, investigation revealed that he is involved with smuggling of fire arms for the past many years and had got arrested twice in this connection. Police have come to know that Monotosh had smuggled fire arms four times to some of the banned organisations in Bangladesh in the past five months. Police conducted raids at his houses at Moitra Bagan and Raghunathpur in Basirhat in North 24-Parganas.

Monotosh's first wife Gouri and mother-in-law Sabita stay at his Moitra Bagan house, which he had rented one and a half years ago, whereas his second wife stays at the Raghunathpur house. Raghunathpur is just 2 km away from Moitra Bagan.

Monotosh had introduced himself in the Raghunathpur area as Jiaul Gazi. The police had questioned Gouri, Sabita and Monotosh's second wife as well. During the interrogation, police have come to know that the accused had told all his neighbours at Moitra Bagan that he was a fish trader and that is why so many people visit his house for business purposes so often. During the raids, police found one local made shutter gun, a 9-mm pistol (dual magazine), around 25 twelve gauze bullets, ten 9-mm bullets, eleven .22 deluxe bullets, three 8-mm bullets and eleven 7.65 mm bullets were found in two sealed packets.

Police have come to know about the stock of the firearms and ammunition at his houses while interrogating him. They also got to know about the different kinds of firearms and ammunition that he had smuggled to the banned organisations in Bangladesh.