Godda (Jharkhand): The Jharkhand Police have busted an alleged illegal mini arms manufacturing unit operating under the guise of social service and RTI activism in the state’s Godda district, officials said on Wednesday.
A joint team of the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) and Jharkhand Police raided a house in Ghat Baliya village under Mahagama police station limits and recovered firearms, ammunition, and machinery allegedly used for manufacturing weapons.
According to the police, the main accused is Pawan Kumar Turi, who had cultivated an image of a social worker and RTI activist in the area.
During the nearly four-hour operation, the team discovered a secret room inside Turi’s residence. Police said a wall had to be demolished using a JCB machine to gain access to the concealed chamber.
From there, officials recovered a loaded rifle, live cartridges, a pistol, several semi-finished pistols, iron frames used for making country-made firearms, moulds, and lathe and drilling machines.
The quantity of seized material was such that a tractor and a pickup vehicle were required to transport it to the police station.
The operation was led by Mahagama SDPO Varun Rajak, with personnel from six police stations participating in the raid.
Local residents claimed that loud film songs were often played at Turi’s house, allegedly to hide or suppress the noise of machines being used to manufacture weapons.
Villagers further alleged that Turi described the machinery as equipment for making disposable leaf plates and distributed such plates at social events to maintain his public image.
Police said Turi managed to flee after getting wind of the raid and escaped with some weapons in a car. His family members have been detained for questioning, while raids are being conducted at suspected hideouts to trace the absconding accused.
The alleged long-running arms manufacturing operation has also raised questions about the effectiveness of local intelligence gathering, given that police stations at Mahagama, Lalmatia, and Boarijor are located in the surrounding area.
(IANS)
