PATNA: West Bengal Police on Tuesday arrested Sumit Shaw alias Sumit Shaw, from Munger for carrying a country-made pistol during the Ram Navami procession in Howrah.
The 19-year-old stated to be an accused in recent communal violence in West Bengal, was arrested from Munger district in Bihar and subsequently taken on transit remand.
Shaw was spotted brandishing a country-made pistol during the Ram Navami procession taken out by Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Howrah.
Munger superintendent of police J Jala Reddy said that a police team from West Bengal visited Munger and sought cooperation from district police in the arrest of the accused, who had returned to his friend's home after Ramnavami celebrations.
“We swung into action and arrested Shaw from his friend's house located at Maksuspur under Kasim Bazar police station in Munger. He had been staying there for the last two days. He was sent for medical examination after his arrest,” said a police officer posted at Kasim Bazar police station.
Munger SP Reddy said that the accused was initially quizzed by the police officials of West Bengal police, who had been camping in the city for a couple of days. “We handed over the accused to the visiting team after completing legal formalities,” he added.
A video showing Shaw with a country-made pistol during the Ram Navami procession had gone viral on social media. Apprehending his arrest, Shaw shifted to his friend's house in Munger to escape from the police. However, police caught him on Tuesday. Munger is notorious for manufacturing illegal weapons of all makes across the country.
More than 100 illegal gun factories operate in different parts of Munger, which had a licensed gun factory earlier. The gun factory's retired employees reportedly indulged in manufacturing illegal weapons for money.
National Investigation Agency recovered a huge cache of AK-47s smuggled from Central Ordance Deport at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh in 2018.