Police discovered five unlicensed weapons and cartridges in the Uttar Swaroopnagar area of South 24 Parganas district, leading to the arrest of an illegal arms supplier, Ashiq Azam Ghazi. The recovery was the result of a raid conducted on Saturday night based on a tip-off. The surge in illegal weapons recoveries comes after the state government announced the upcoming panchayat polls scheduled for early next year.

Sukanta Majumdar, the BJP state president, criticized the Trinamool Congress government, suggesting that locally manufactured illegal arms have become more prevalent than before. He commented on the contrast between the Bengal Global Business Summit’s inability to attract significant corporate investments and the apparent increase in local arms and explosives production. Majumdar expressed concern, envisioning a future where even sophisticated weaponry like AK-47s might be manufactured in Bengal.

In response, TMC Minister Sashi Panja dismissed the attempts to link the party to the illegal weapons discovery, stating that those unable to secure election victories are continuously trying to destabilize the state. Panja emphasized that the police would investigate the origin of the weapons and the individuals involved, asserting that there is no reason to implicate the TMC in the matter.