A country-made firearm wrapped in a plastic packet was recovered from a pond in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, prompting a police investigation into how the weapon ended up in the water.
The recovery was made in Gosaba, days after similar firearm recoveries were reported from ponds in Sandeshkhali and Basanti, fuelling concerns over the possible dumping of illegal weapons in water bodies.
According to police and local sources, pond owner Amjed Sardar had gone fishing with his daughter in a pond located amid open fields in Beltala. While wading through the water, the girl reportedly felt a hard object strike her foot. Curious, they retrieved the item and discovered what appeared to be a firearm wrapped in plastic.
The matter was immediately reported to the police. Officers reached the spot and recovered the weapon, which has been identified as a small country-made revolver.
Police subsequently carried out searches in several nearby ponds to check for additional weapons or suspicious objects, but nothing else was found.
Investigators are now trying to determine how the firearm ended up in the pond. Police suspect it may have been discarded by criminals attempting to evade detection or destroy evidence.
THIEF ONCE HID IN POND FOR 5 HOURS, USED LOTUS STEM TO BREATHE
The unusual recovery recalls a case from April this year in Madhya Pradesh, where a suspected train thief attempted a dramatic escape by hiding in a pond for nearly five hours. According to Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials, the accused jumped into the water while trying to evade arrest and remained submerged by breathing through a hollow lotus stem. He was eventually tracked down and arrested after a prolonged search involving divers.
While the circumstances are entirely different, both incidents highlight how ponds and water bodies are sometimes used either to conceal evidence or to avoid law-enforcement action.
Police said the Gosaba firearm has been sent for examination and further investigation is underway to identify its source and any possible criminal links.
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Inputs from Prasenjit Saha
Published By:
Priyanka Kumari
Published On:
Jun 14, 2026 14:11 IST
