Weapon gang kingpin arrested

Kolkata: The Port Trust police on Tuesday busted a gang, which supplied countrymade weapons from Bihar and UP to goons in the city. The kingpin, Ganga Prasad Mahato (23), who is also a drug dealer, was picked up from near Babughat.
The police said the gang followed a barter system, exchanging weapons for drugs, and vice-versa.
DC (Port) Sudip Sarkar said Mahato, who lived in the railway slum in the port area, ran a drug den at Ghutiari Sharif in the locality."Mahato sourced countrymade weapons from Bihar and Umerti, Bariya, Signor and Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh. He sold those weapons for as less as Rs 3,000-5,000 a piece, that usually costs Rs 5,000-10,000 in the grey market," an investigator said.
The police said Mahato was in 2014 arrested by the narcotics cell of Lalbazar when he was one of the biggest heroin suppliers at Chengail in Howrah. He would hire boats to cross over to the Kolkata ghats at night and sell the contraband, said police, adding he used Bandhaghat as his getaway point.
Mahato subsequently jumped bail and reportedly took to bringing in firearms, which he initially rented out to criminals. Later, he started selling them directly to goons in the port area.
"Consignments of guns were smuggled in from near the Bangladesh border at Krishnanagar-Jadabpur, Lalgola and Chandrabandha-Burimari to Titagarh through Howrah. The weapons were sold to criminals, who exchanged drugs for the arms," the police said.
An investigation officer said, "Mahato will be questioned whether he had supplied arms to the Gopal Tewary gang that had shot at a cop on the day of the KMC elections last year."
According to DC (Port) Sudip Sarkar, the accused has been identified as Ganga Prasad Mahato (23), a resident of the Railway slums in the Port area and a permanent address at drug den Ghutiari Sharif. Accordinng to sources, Mahato was caught with a country made weapon around 10 am on Tuesday. "Mahato used to supply country made weapons from Bihar and Umerti, Bariya, Signor and Burhanpur, in Madhya Pradesh. He offered the weapons for as less as Rs 3000-5,000 that usually costs Rs 5,000-10,000 in the grey market," said an investigating officer.
The rise of Mahato has been phenomenal say sources. Mahato, they claim, was arrested in 2014 by the Narcotics Cell of Lalbazar when he was the biggest heroin supplier from Chenngail. He changed tack and began hiring country boats to cross over to the Kolkata ghats at night to sell his drugs. He used Banndhanghat as his getaway point. However, when he faced trials at the courts, he jumped bail and took to bringing fire arms. He first began by renting out firearms but then began supplying weapons directly to criminals in the Port area.
Sources said the accused will be questioned on whether he had supplied arms to the Gopal Tewary gang that was involved in shooting at a cop on the day of the KMC elections last year. Police sources insist it was this huge discounts offered by Mahato that was despised by others in the trade.
Earlier last year, a CID probe into the blast on a train at Titagarh and the Kolkata police's investigation in to the Tangra police station attack had thrown up a common link: criminals operating around railway tracks of the city and suburbs and even central Kolkata (Entally-Jorasanko-Jorabagan) are using the proceeds from drug sales to buy bombs and single-shotters.