West Bengal STF Arrests 3 Gun Shop Owners in Illegal Arms Trade Probe

Swift Summary

• The owners of Nursing Chunder Daw & Co.,a 190-year-old gun shop in Kolkata,were arrested by the West bengal Police Special Task Force for allegedly being involved in an illegal arms racket.
• Arrested individuals: Subir Daw, Abhir Daw, and Subrata Daw-three brothers from an aristocratic family.
• police recovered 41 unregistered firearms from the shop during a raid, along with allegations of selling bullets and licensed firearms illegally.
• Inquiry links the racket to an earlier recovery of arms at Rahara under the Barrackpore Commissionerate in August 2025. Among items recovered at Rahara were guns,rifles,pistols (7mm and 9mm),revolvers,bolt-action rifles,and over 900 bullets of varying bores.
• Previous arrests (February 2025): Two employees from the same shop were detained for their involvement in similar illegal arms trading activities.
• The shop was sealed after past incidents but recently reopened before being shut down again following these latest arrests.
• Accused are currently remanded to seven days police custody as investigations continue.

Image: Sealed Nursing Chunder Daw & co., Kolkata | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri

Indian opinion Analysis

The arrest of owners linked to one of India’s oldest licensed gun shops raises critical concerns over regulatory oversight mechanisms for firearm sales in government-permitted stores-a sector heavily monitored due to public safety implications. While such establishments are meant to provide lawful access under strict conditions, lapses resulting in illegal trade indicate systemic vulnerability.

The case also highlights how actionable intelligence-from last month’s Rahara firearm haul-can unravel deeper networks possibly spreading across state lines or organized crime entities exploiting procedural gaps locally within kolkata’s densely urban framework.

This incident serves as a litmus test for policy makers who must evaluate not only enforcement capacities but also auditing protocols covering arms dealerships across India-a growing necessity amid rising safety issues and global scrutiny on illicit small-arms proliferation.

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