Five Men, Including a BTech Graduate, Arrested in Kolkata with Firearms; Motive Yet to Be Revealed
In a late-night operation on Monday, the Kolkata Police apprehended five men from Uttar Pradesh, including a BTech degree holder, during a raid near Surendranath Women’s College in central Kolkata’s Sealdah area. Acting on a tip-off, the police seized two firearms, including an Italian-made semi-automatic pistol and a single-shot weapon, along with 15 rounds of live ammunition. However, the nature of the crime the group was allegedly planning remains unclear, according to the authorities.
The suspects have been identified as Rukesh Sahani from Ghazipur, Shiv Shankar Yadav from Haldharpur, Rahul Yadav from Ghazipur, Aditya Maurya from Mau, and Devank Gupta from Kanpur. None of them were carrying identification papers, further complicating the investigation into their presence and intentions in Kolkata.
Meeraj Khalid, the joint commissioner of police (Crime), disclosed details of the arrest during a press conference at the Lalbazar police headquarters on Tuesday morning. “We are yet to ascertain why they had come to Kolkata. Given the seizure of firearms, it is evident they intended to commit a crime, but the specifics of their plan are still under investigation,” Khalid stated.
The arrests were made around Surendranath Women’s College, where the suspects were intercepted by the police. The recovered firearms included a 7mm semi-automatic pistol and another single-shot weapon. Authorities are probing the gang’s movements and motives, but their plans remain a mystery for now.
This incident follows a string of violent episodes in West Bengal involving out-of-state criminals. Last year, an attempt was made on the life of Trinamool Congress councilor Sushanta Ghosh while he was sitting outside his home in the Kasba area of Kolkata. More recently, a Trinamool leader in Malda’s Englishbazar was shot dead by assailants from Bihar.
While police have not confirmed any connection between the arrested men and these incidents, they are investigating the possibility of a broader criminal network. “We are working to determine if the group had any local contacts or accomplices in Kolkata. Their custody is essential to uncover the reasons behind their visit to the city,” Khalid added.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma downplayed suggestions that the city has become a refuge for criminals from other states. “Criminals moving between states is a common phenomenon. What matters is how effectively the state police respond to these movements,” Verma said.
Referring to the attack on Councilor Ghosh, Verma highlighted that most of the individuals involved had already been apprehended, except for one or two suspects. “The primary motive in that case appears to be a land dispute, but we cannot share further details at this stage,” he said.
In this latest case, Rukesh Sahani has emerged as the suspected leader of the group. Sahani is a BTech graduate from a local college in Uttar Pradesh, while the other members of the gang are also highly educated. Among them, one holds an MCom degree, one is a trained technician from an Industrial Training Institute (ITI), and two are graduates in arts and science. “Their educational backgrounds are noteworthy, and we are in the process of verifying their antecedents,” Khalid noted.
A railway ticket was recovered from Sahani, but it remains unclear how the other members of the gang traveled to Kolkata. Investigators are now combing through the group’s travel history and other evidence to establish the full picture of their movements.
Interestingly, this is not the first instance of firearms being recovered from out-of-state criminals in central Kolkata. Just two months ago, arms were seized from a lodge in the nearby Baithakkhana area, where a gang from Bihar had reportedly checked in.
The arrest of this group highlights the challenges law enforcement agencies face in curbing the movement of armed criminals across state borders. The Kolkata Police continue their investigation, hoping to uncover the motive behind the gang’s presence in the city and whether they are connected to any larger criminal conspiracy.