Gunrunners with D-gang link arrested from Port

Kolkata: Days after two Dawood gang members from Kerala who had come to buy weapons from the port area were nabbed by the detective department, police have nabbed two more gun-runners from the port area, who too might have D-company links. Cops suspect the two had been trying to sell weapons to some members of the dreaded gang in the Rajabagan area.
One of those arrested, identified as Golam Rasul alias Riyaz (35), is said to be a sharp shooter and wanted in at least eight cases of murder, extortion and robbery. His aide - identified as Md Sarowar Qureshi (40) - too was carrying arms at the time of his arrest. "Among the items recovered are three single-shotters, four rounds of ammunition and an imported dagger belonging to Riyaz," said DC (Port) Sudeep Sarkar.
Sources said it was around 8.30pm on Saturday that local police sources found the duo with the cache of arms - moving around suspiciously near the Pakuria Talab area. The locals along with cops gave them a chase after which they tried to run away in different directions. While Rajabagan police arrested Qureshi after a chase, it took the cops from Rabindra Nagar in South 24-Parganas to set up eight check points across the Budge Budge-Maheshtala industrial belt to arrest Riyaz. Both were produced in court on Sunday and taken in to police custody. A single-shotter fetched Rs 5,000-6,000 while a 9-mm pistol would sell for Rs 25,000. Police have seized a diary with phone numbers and addresses of some important contacts from the accused, claimed cops.
Police suspect that the duo might have links with the arrested D-company members Abu Bakkar Sddiqui (28) and Siabuddin (24).
"Guns were smuggled in from near Bangladesh border at Krishnagar-Jadabpur, Lalgola and Chandrabandha-Burimari to Titagarh through Howrah. The weapons were sold to criminals, who exchanged drugs for the arms. But of late, he claims, he arranged for guns made in Port-Maheshtala. Sometimes, he sourced for guns from the Howrah rural belt," the police said adding what has left them worried is the bursting of three weapon making units in close vicinity in the past four months.