Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Motihari: In a major breakthrough, Motihari police have uncovered an illegal arms manufacturing unit camouflaged as a poultry farm in the Palanwa police station area. Four key accused have been arrested, and a cache of weapons, ammunition, and arms-making equipment has been seized.
Acting on a tip-off, East Champaran Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat formed a special investigation team (SIT) led by Raxaul SDPO Dhirendra Kumar. The team, comprising officers from Palanwa, Bhelahi, and Ramgarhwa police stations, conducted a 12-hour-long raid on Thursday night, exposing the arms factory.
Police said the factory had been running for the past year under the pretext of a poultry business. Locals had grown suspicious as no poultry activity was seen at the site. The breakthrough came after intelligence from rural sources revealed the involvement of Pankaj Singh and Rajeshwar Singh, both residents of Gad Sirisiya village.
Following their arrest, two other masterminds — Amitabh Sharma from Chhapra and Mohammad Nayyar Alam from Munger — were also apprehended. Investigations revealed that Sharma and Alam were the technical experts who manufactured the weapons and arranged skilled workers.
SP Swarn Prabhat, who personally visited the site, confirmed that the illegal unit was manufacturing and supplying arms to several districts in Bihar as well as regions in Kolkata, Ludhiana, and even Nepal. “We have recovered pistols, carbines, country-made firearms, cartridges, magazines, weapon-making machinery, and raw materials,” said Prabhat.
He added that the police team involved in the operation will be felicitated for their exemplary work. “We have also received leads indicating wider links to interstate and international arms smuggling networks. Action is underway based on these inputs.”
Factory Setup and Smuggling Network
According to police sources, Nayyar Alam had relocated the illegal arms operation from Munger to Motihari due to increased police pressure in Munger. The setup in Palanwa was considered safer and more discreet. Nayyar supplied the raw materials and coordinated the smuggling, while Pankaj Singh provided the location and support.
Police have recovered pricing details of the weapons: carbines were sold for ₹1.5 to ₹2 lakh, pistols for ₹40,000 to ₹50,000, and country-made kattas for ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.
Criminal Background and Past Connections
Pankaj Singh, one of the arrested accused, has a history of serious criminal charges. In 2006, he was accused of murdering a villager named Kisu Singh and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009. He later secured bail after appealing in a higher court.
Sources revealed that Pankaj met Nayyar Alam two years ago at a wedding in Patna. Their friendship led to a partnership, and the idea of starting an arms manufacturing unit was born.
Ongoing Investigation
Police are now tracing links in Kolkata and Ludhiana and expanding the investigation to identify other operatives involved in the smuggling network. Arms-making machines, tools, and several incomplete weapons were also seized during the raid.
Authorities are hopeful that further questioning will reveal the full scale of the operation and help dismantle similar illegal factories across the region.
