Police in Bihar’s Buxar said they have busted an illegal arms manufacturing unit allegedly set up to avenge the murder of gangster Chandan Mishra, who was shot dead in Patna’s Paras Hospital on July 17.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Shubham Arya said the operation was carried out based on specific intelligence received on Saturday regarding the alleged manufacturing of illegal arms at one Dinesh Yadav’s residence in Dalsagar village.
“We had received credible inputs about a mini gun factory operating from a private residence. Preliminary information had also indicated the presence of partially built weapons on the premises,” said Arya.
He said the accused had brought in specialised workers from Munger, known for its history of illegal arms making, to assist in the manufacturing process.
A special investigation team (SIT) was constituted under the leadership of Gaurav Pandey, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Sadar Buxar. The SIT then conducted a raid at the premises.
The operation resulted in the arrest of six individuals and the seizure of three country-made pistols, a hand grenade, 18 live cartridges, two magazines, four motorcycles and six mobile phones.
In addition, a large cache of arms manufacturing tools and materials was seized, including a saw, two circular flat discs, two packets of screws, three screwdrivers, a cutting machine, five metal files, two pliers, a chisel, two iron plates, and various other small parts used in firearms assembly, police said.
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Of the six individuals arrested, two — Rajesh Kumar and Sunil Poddar — are from the Kasim Bazar area in Munger and were reportedly brought in to assist with arms manufacturing. The other four, Sandeep Yadav, Anup Paswan, Durgesh Upadhyay and Dayanand Yadav, belong to various villages within the Industrial Police Station’s jurisdiction in Buxar district, police said.
“All six have previous criminal records, with cases registered against them under charges including murder, robbery, and violations of the Arms Act,” SP Arya said.
The officer also said further investigation revealed that one of the accused, Durgesh Upadhyay, is allegedly associated with the Chandan Mishra gang. “During interrogation, and when looking at past communications of the accused and technical evidence, the name of Dheeraj Mishra also emerged. He is also wanted in other cases by Buxar police,” the officer said.
He claimed that the accused said the arms manufacturing had begun on August 1, just a day before it was busted.
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According to the officer, investigations have so far revealed that the group was allegedly preparing a retaliatory attack linked to the recent killing of Chandan Mishra, who was under treatment in Paras Hospital in Patna. “One of the angles in our inquiry reveals that the weapons were potentially being prepared to avenge the recent killing of Chandan Mishra. The accused had reportedly identified certain individuals in Buxar as their targets,” Arya said.
A case has been registered under relevant sections at Industrial Police Station and further investigation is ongoing to find any more potential accomplices and the full extent of the network. Raids are also underway to apprehend the absconding owner of the house Dinesh Yadav, police said.