3 weeks ago
Bengal STF arrests most-wanted suspect in interstate arms racket
Special police officers in a state called West Bengal caught a very wanted man who is believed to be part of a group that secretly sells guns across states.
His name is Sheikh Rafikul, and he was found in a town called Pandabeswar.
When he was caught, the police found a gun and bullets with him.
The police took him to court, and the judge said he must stay with the police for four more days so they can keep asking him questions.
This did not just start that day, though.
Back in July, the police had caught another person named Khoirul Alam Choudhury while he had two guns.
When they talked to him, he told them about other people in the group.
The police then captured another person named Sheikh Shamsher and found many hidden guns and bullets in an old, empty house.
In total, the police found 18 good quality guns and 57 bullets after catching three members of the group.
There are still two more members who have run away, and the police are still looking for them.
West Bengal STF arrested most-wanted suspect Sheikh Rafikul in Pandabeswar, Paschim Bardhaman district, recovering illegal firearms and cartridges.
Rafikul was produced before a court on Tuesday and remanded to four days of police custody for further investigation.
The breakthrough began in July 2026 with the arrest of Khoirul Alam Choudhury, whose interrogation led police to Sheikh Shamsher and Rafikul.
An overnight raid in the Parascole area of Andal recovered 15 improvised firearms and 56 rounds of live ammunition hidden in an abandoned Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) quarter.
The STF recovered 18 sophisticated illegal firearms and 57 rounds of ammunition after three arrests, while two syndicate members remain absconding.
- Who
- The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) arrested Sheikh Rafikul, along with previously detained suspects Khoirul Alam Choudhury and Sheikh Shamsher.
- What
- Arrests and seizures tied to an organized interstate arms-smuggling racket operating in the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate (ADPC) jurisdiction.
- Where
- Pandabeswar in Paschim Bardhaman district, West Bengal, with a major raid in the Parascole area of Andal.
- When
- Rafikul was produced before the court on Tuesday after a fortnight of STF operations; the breakthrough began in July 2026.
- Why
- To dismantle the interstate illegal weapons network and seize its smuggled firearms and ammunition.
Key facts
- Arrested suspect
- Sheikh Rafikul (most-wanted)
- Arrest location
- Pandabeswar, Paschim Bardhaman district, West Bengal
- Police custody
- 4 days (court-ordered)
- Total firearms recovered
- 18 sophisticated illegal firearms
- Total ammunition recovered
- 57 rounds
- Raid cache
- 15 improvised firearms and 56 rounds of live ammunition at an abandoned ECL quarter, Parascole, Andal
- Breakthrough arrest
- Khoirul Alam Choudhury, July 2026, at Jamuria Kenda bus stand
- Absconding suspects
- 2 syndicate members











