Police bust arms unit, PLFI head among 4 held

PATNA: Police on Tuesday busted a gang operating a mini gun factory in which guns, ammunition and explosives were being produced for ultra-left extremist group People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI). Four people were arrested, and they included PLFI's Bihar region head Awadhesh Kumar Jaiswal alias Chuhwa, police said and added Awadhesh was the mastermind behind the blast in Bahadurpur Housing Colony on March 30 this year.
Siddhi Kumar, son of Siyasharan Singh, Santosh Kumar, son of Virju Prasad, and Suraj Kumar Mahto, son of Subhash Mahto, were also nabbed. "Awadhesh is the elder brother of Ganesh Shankar, the second-in- command of PLFI. Tasked with expanding the tentacles of PLFI in Bihar, Awadesh was into procuring illicit arms," said Patna SSP Jitender Rana.
A special police team headed by City SP (east) Sudhir Kumar Porika, which was formed after the blast in a flat in Patna's Bahadurpur Housing Colony, got a tip-off about Awadhesh's arrival in Patna. Police conducted raid at his residence near a hospital on New Bypass Road, and arrested him. Police also recovered a loaded pistol and a bullet from his possession. It was he who told police about supplier Subhash Mahto's arms factory at Bahri Dhawalpur under the Bypass police station area.
Subhash managed to elude the raiding team, but his son Suraj was caught working in the gun factory. Police seized two pistols, 13 bullets, six gun barrels, 18 local pistol barrels, one drill machine, one lathe machine, 54 metal rods, seven mobile phones and other raw materials used for making guns. Police also recovered a bike from Santosh's residence, which was used by criminals Sonu and Chhotu to flee from the Bahadupur Housing Colony after the blast in March. Siddhi alias Master, a regular teacher at a government school in Vaishali district, would also supply arms to the extremist group, Rana said.
"Awadhesh has told police at least 15 youths from Bihar were sent to Jharkhand for training under PLFI," said Rana.