The Central Bureau of Investigation seized arms and ammunition, including foreign-made firearms, during searches at multiple locations in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali on Friday in connection with the January attack on an Enforcement Directorate team by a mob allegedly instigated by now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, officials said.
Teams of the CBI, the bomb detection squad, the National Security Guard, the central paramilitary forces and the West Bengal police were part of the searches at the village -- a riverine delta -- on the fringes of the Sunderbans in North 24 Parganas district.
"During investigation of this case, information was received that the items lost by the ED team and other incriminating articles may be hidden at the residence of an associate of Sheikh at Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas. Accordingly, the team of the CBI along with CRPF personnel searched two premises at Sandeshkhali today (Friday)," the spokesperson of the CBI.
The swift operation, till afternoon, resulted in the seizure of a huge cache of small arms and ammunition, and these included foreign-made pistols, the officials said.
During the searches, the CBI seized three foreign-made revolvers and one foreign-made pistol, one Indian revolver, one Colt official issue police revolver, one country-made pistol, 120 nine mm bullets, 50 cartridges of .45 calibre, 120 nine mm cartridges, 50 cartridges of .380 and eight cartridges of .32, the spokesperson said.
"Besides, many incriminating documents related to Shajahan have also been recovered. Some items suspected to be country-made bombs have also been recovered, which are being handled and disposed of by the teams of the NSG," the spokesperson said in a statement.
As officials spread across Sandeshkhali to search targetted locations, NSG units had the responsibility for detecting and handling explosives found during the operation, the officials said.
Five teams of CBI officials, with support from the West Bengal police, the central forces and the NSG, conducted a search at the house in Sarberia, a senior official said in Kolkata
"We had received specific information regarding the stockpiling of this huge cache of arms and ammunition, and explosives. Explosives stacked inside boxes have also been found. The search operation is underway," the official had told PTI during the operation.
The owner of the house, identified as Abu Taleb Mollah, is a relative of Sheikh, sources in the CBI said and added that it was not clear why such a huge cache of arms and ammunition, and explosives were stacked inside the house.
The house, which was cordoned off by security forces, was built amid water bodies used for fish farming. Central forces were used metal detectors outside the house to check whether more arms and ammunition were buried. A robotic device was also deployed for the purpose.
The searches were launched in connection with the three FIRs that the CBI had registered related to the attack on the team of Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5 when it had gone to raid the premises of Sheikh in connection with an alleged ration scam.
On the orders of the Calcutta High Court, the central agency had registered three FIRs related to the incidents on January 5.
The FIRs pertain to the alleged attack on ED officers by a mob on the complaint by officers, allegations against ED officials levelled by the guard of suspended TMC leader Sheikh and a suo motu case registered by the Nazat police station about the attack on ED officers.
Sheikh was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in connection with the attack.
After the attack by a mob of around 1,000 people in which three ED officials were injured, a deputy director of the agency had given a complaint to the superintendent of police, Basirhat.
