Kolkata, Aug 3: The West Bengal Police arrested a Trinamool Congress leader and recovered firearms, live cartridges and a bomb from his house during a search operation in South 24 Parganas district’s Canning area, police officials said on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Alauddin Tarafdar, a resident of Uttar Angadberia village under Dighirpar gram panchayat in the Canning police station area. The police said he is a Trinamool Congress (TMC) booth president.

According to the police, a raid was carried out at Tarafdar’s residence late on Sunday night following a tip-off. During the search, officers recovered a firearm, a small firearm, four live cartridges and a live bomb. He was arrested, and the recovered weapons were taken into custody for forensic examination as well as further investigation.

The accused is scheduled to be produced before the Alipore court on Monday. A police officer said investigators would seek his police custody to question him further.

“An application will be made to take him into police custody for the sake of investigation. We are trying to ascertain why the firearms and explosives were kept there and whether any other persons are linked to the case,” the officer said.

The arrest comes amid a series of arms recoveries in South 24 Parganas and adjoining districts over the past few weeks.

On July 27, the police conducted a joint raid in the Bishnupur area of South 24 Parganas and arrested three persons after recovering two firearms, three rounds of live ammunition and cash amounting to Rs 20,65,900.

Earlier, on June 20, the police recovered 14 long-range firearms and 95 rounds of ammunition from a pond in Basanti in the same district. Two local TMC leaders were arrested in connection with the recovery. The weapons were allegedly concealed in the pond near the residence of Shaokat Gayen.

In another incident on June 15, fishermen casting nets in a pond at Habra in North 24 Parganas found two bags containing eight firearms and 97 rounds of live cartridges. The police later seized the weapons and launched an investigation into their origin and intended use.

Madurai, Aug 3: Five people from Chennai, including a three-year-old girl, were killed and two others seriously injured in a multiple-vehicle accident after a car lost control, crossed the median and collided head-on with another vehicle near Melur in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district on Monday.

The accident occurred on the Thumbaipatti four-lane road overbridge when a car carrying five members of a group was travelling from Chennai towards Tirunelveli along the National Highway.

According to police, the car first rammed into a two-wheeler travelling ahead of it while passing over the flyover. Following the collision, the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which veered across the median and entered the opposite carriageway.

Within moments, the out-of-control car crashed head-on into another car coming from the opposite direction.

The second vehicle was travelling from Madurai towards Tiruchy when the collision occurred. The impact of the crash was severe, leaving the Chennai-bound vehicle badly damaged.

Five occupants were killed on the spot before emergency personnel could reach them.

Police identified four of the deceased as Sriman of Madipakkam in Chennai, Rajakumari, Ranja and three-year-old Pranika. They were reported to be members of the same family. The identity of the fifth person, who was travelling along with the family, was yet to be established.

Following information about the accident, personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services Department, Melur police and the 108 ambulance service rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.

Two persons who sustained grievous injuries were pulled out of the damaged vehicles and taken to the Melur Government Hospital for treatment.

Police said one of the injured was travelling in the car from Chennai, while the other was an occupant of the second car that was heading towards Tiruchy.

The bodies of the five victims were recovered from the wreckage and sent to the government hospital for post-mortem examination.

The accident led to severe traffic disruption on the busy four-lane stretch as damaged vehicles and rescue operations blocked movement for some time.

Police personnel regulated traffic and subsequently cleared the vehicles from the road to restore normal movement. The Melur police have registered a case and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the accident.

Srinagar, Aug 3: Joint security forces on Sunday apprehended a suspected individual during a “naka” checking operation near Fruit Mandi in Rajpora area of Pulwama district in south Kashmir, official sources said.

The arrested person has been identified as Tausif Ahmad Dar, a resident of Pulwama.

According to sources in the security establishment, the “naka” (Checkpost) was set up as part of routine area domination and preventive measures in the sensitive zone.

During the search of the suspect, security personnel recovered a hand grenade, one mobile phone and three anti-national posters from his possession, sources confirmed.

The recovery of the explosive device and propaganda material has raised concerns about possible attempts to disrupt peace in the region.

A case has been registered under FIR No. 107/2026 at Rajpora Police Station, police sources said.

The FIR has been lodged under relevant sections of the law dealing with possession of explosives and anti-national activities. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the grenade, the origin of the posters and any possible links of the accused with militant or over-ground worker networks.

Security officials said that such “naka” operations are being intensified across Pulwama and adjoining areas to foil any potential threats and maintain law and order.

The recovery of the hand grenade, in particular, is being treated with seriousness given the potential for its use in targeted attacks or to create panic among civilians.

Sources indicated that the phone seized from the accused is being subjected to forensic examination to check for communication records or digital evidence that could point to larger networks.

Investigators are also examining the content and origin of the anti-national posters recovered from the suspect.

The incident comes amid ongoing efforts by security forces to keep a tight vigil in south Kashmir, which has witnessed sporadic attempts by anti-national elements to revive subversive activities. Officials maintained that continuous area domination, intelligence-based operations and public cooperation remain key to preventing such threats.

Tausif Ahmad Dar remains in custody for detailed questioning as the probe continues, sources added.

Police have urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the nearest security post or police station.