Sat Sep 06 11:00:30 UTC 2025: **Headline: Kolkata’s Historic Gun Shop Sealed, Owners Arrested in Illegal Arms Racket**

**Kolkata, September 6, 2025** – Nursing Chunder Daw & Co., a 190-year-old gun shop in the heart of Kolkata, has been sealed off by police following the arrest of its three owners, Subir Daw, Abhir Daw, and Subrata Daw, in connection with an alleged illegal arms racket. The brothers, hailing from a prominent North Kolkata family, were taken into custody on Thursday after a raid on their Dalhousie-area establishment.

The West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF) launched the investigation following the recovery of a significant cache of illegal firearms in Rahara, Khardah, last month. Authorities were able to trace the weapons back to Nursing Chunder Daw & Co., a government-licensed gun shop, raising serious questions about oversight mechanisms and potential lapses in monitoring.

“There were 41 guns, including single-barrelled and double-barrelled firearms, which were seized from Daw’s shop. During the raids, they could not find any record of these guns,” stated Indrajit Basu, Superintendent of Police and head of the STF team.

The accused were presented in court on Friday and remanded to seven days of police custody as the investigation continues. Allegations suggest the brothers were illegally selling firearms and ammunition to unauthorized individuals at inflated prices, even diverting guns registered to licensed owners.

The discovery in Rahara included 14 guns and rifles, 905 bullets, bolt-action rifles, and pistols recovered from a local resident’s home, sparking the investigation.

This is not the first time Nursing Chunder Daw & Co. has been embroiled in controversy. In February, two of the shop’s employees were arrested on similar charges of illegal arms trading, leading to a temporary closure. The shop had only recently reopened before the latest arrests.

The proximity of the gun shop to Kolkata Police headquarters has further fueled concerns about the extent and duration of the alleged illegal activities. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities working to uncover the full scope of the racket and identify those who benefitted from it.

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