By Dharmesh Prajapati

Three double-barrel guns and several cartridges wrapped in black plastic covers were found buried in a piece of land owned by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sujit Saha in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Friday, police said.

The recovery was made during a raid conducted by Gobardanga police, while Sujit Saha and his elder brother Ajit Saha were taken to the spot for investigation. According to police sources, the arms and ammunition were found dumped in a corner of the land and had been carefully wrapped in plastic covers before being buried.

The incident came at a time when the TMC is grappling with both organisational challenges and defections in the aftermath of its stunning defeat to the BJP in the West Bengal Assembly polls.

The development also came after Sujit Saha and Ajit Saha were arrested on Wednesday night on allegations of extortion, criminal intimidation and involvement in the 2021 post-poll violence cases.

During earlier searches linked to the case, police had seized around Rs 27 lakh in cash, arms, cartridges and foreign liquor bottles from their possession.

On Thursday, the two brothers were produced before the District and Sessions Court in Barasat, which remanded them to police custody for further questioning.

Police officials said the recovery of guns and cartridges was made based on information gathered during questioning of the accused. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the weapons and whether they were used in any criminal activities.