Following a brief exchange of fire, Simdega district police and CRPF personnel in Jharkhand busted a gun manufacturing unit run by the banned criminal outfit People Liberation Front of India (PLFI).
The unit was located in dense forest near Mohuatoli under Bano police limits in Simdega district, 50 kilometres from Sundargarh border in Odisha. Simdega SP Aseem Bikrant Minz told this paper that the success came during a combing operation by personnel of Bano police and CRPF in the forest. He suspected the PLFI chief Dinesh Gope was present at the camp. As some PLFI members opened fire to divert police attention, Gope managed to flee.
The makeshift camp having a mini gun factory was located in the forest and it appeared that 10-12 persons used to stay there, he said.
The seizures included a 15-KV generator, a small generator set, three lathe and one welding machines, one finished double barrel rifle, two country made pistols, 100 barrels for making rifles, 130 barrels for single-shot small weapons, two kgs of springs, five cartridges for rifles and as many for pistols to test efficacy of manufactured guns and four big tents. Simdega SP said it appeared that they had hired some illegal gun manufacturers from Munger and police were camping there to sanitise the area.