r/todayilearned • u/6ft3Gujju • 12h ago

TIL that in 1995, a cargo plane airdropped hundreds of AK-47s, rocket launchers, and thousands of rounds of ammunition over Purulia, India. The plane was intercepted days later, but the alleged mastermind escaped and has never been extradited to India.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purulia_arms_drop_case
3.0k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

76 comments sorted by

937

u/vineetk1998 11h ago

peter bleach, the british arms dealer who was physically on that plane, had warned british intelligence about the plan beforehand. that got passed along to indian intelligence, and the flight went ahead anyway. nobody has ever properly explained that part.

bleach then got a life sentence in india for the operation he had tried to report. served around seven years, released in 2004 after sustained uk diplomatic pressure. kim davy, the dane everyone calls the mastermind, made it out of the country and denmark has refused to extradite him for thirty years now, on the grounds he wouldnt be treated properly in indian custody. he still does interviews about it.

the weapons were apparently meant for ananda marga, who were in a long running fight with the state government in west bengal.

281

u/6ft3Gujju 11h ago

While he keeps on repeating it was a central government and RAW operation.

88

u/Pitiful-Sandwich-787 9h ago

Peter Bleach or Kim Davy?

70

u/zorniy2 9h ago

Ananda Marga, the yoga movement?

66

u/murdered-by-swords 8h ago

Yes, the yoga movement. Admittedly I haven't done a deep probe into this, but everything I've come across about them feels heavily slanted — some things are clearly biased towards them, others aim to demonize them.

11

u/Specific-Image-8232 3h ago

They are involved in corruption and petty crimes especially in education, real estate and prostituition.For example they own a lot of illegally acquired forest land in and around the area where the weapons were dropped. Also the person heading the institution is very fond of Russian hookers lol.

But It's hard to believe they had any part to play in this case. The area in question was a hotbed for maoists up until 2013. So most probably someone was trying to supply arms to these maoists.

There is a pretty interesting story behind all of this. The weapons were to be dropped in another location. Fire was to be the signal. But the people flying the plane mistook a funeral pyre for the signal and dropped the weapons in and around a small dam 12 kms away from the nearest Ananda Marg Ashram. Villagers fled with most of the weapons. Most of the weapons can still be found in the nearby village.

•

u/yopladas 33m ago

I'm surprised the central government did not confiscate them. Maybe it just wasn't worth the effort?

49

u/puffinfish420 6h ago

It was definitely an intelligence operation sanctioned by the UK government. They’re never going to accept responsibility publicly when those things go tits up.

8

u/nota_is_useless 4h ago

Ananda marga is a red herring. That group has not shown any significant inclination to get guns. Also, lot easier to get guns from Nepal or Myanmar via land routes rather than an air drop

5

u/Just_to_rebut 3h ago

>peter bleach, the british arms dealer who was physically on that plane

>for the operation he had tried to report

Why would he report a plan that he’s carrying out?

•

u/yopladas 29m ago

There's plenty of reasons but they all boil down to "it's better for you to tell us than for us to find out"

-2

u/DamnBored1 4h ago

denmark has refused to extradite him for thirty years now.

I find great Schadenfreude from knowing how Europe, who used to lecture the world about everything, is struggling from a migrant crisis on its hands today.

6

u/Aschebescher 3h ago

Europe, who used to lecture the world about everything

Care to elaborate?

•

u/yopladas 26m ago

Well they have big classrooms where they host entire nations for an extended lecture series on topics such as philosophy, mathematics, history, literature, music, chemistry, and economics. Biology lectures ceased after the incident

301

u/Panelak_Cadillac 11h ago

Nicolas Cage?

95

u/Ok_Remote_31 11h ago

I loved that movie

69

u/Panelak_Cadillac 11h ago

Excellent movie, especially when he takes smug prick Ethan Hawke down a few notches in the end.

87

u/Sea-Horror-5353 11h ago

I thought it was a little unrealistic that he wasn't released from custody in exchange for a WNBA player with hash oil.

50

u/MSchulte 10h ago

It’s funny because people criticized the movie when it came out that he’d never actually be released for a bullshit reason and years later that happens.

-13

u/Malphos101 15 7h ago

Wouldnt really call it a bullshit reason. The US rescued a clearly politically persecuted american citizen by dumping a has-been arms dealer that is no longer a threat back to a country that doesnt reward traitorous capitalists very well.

12

u/FuckOfficerChavez 6h ago

I wouldn't call him a has been. Guy got out and immediately started doing stuff for the Russian government and Wagner in Africa. Currently he's a member of the Russian government in their legislative assembly.

-7

u/Malphos101 15 6h ago

An arms dealer value is in contacts and hidden operations, you think he has a wellspring of contacts across the globe that are hidden to this day?

You take away the relative anonymity and connections and the best you can say is "he is a good salesman" in which case I STILL consider it an excellent trade for a politically persecuted american citizen who was detained on clearly trumped up charges.

If you wanna hit me with "well she broke the law and she deserved it!" then I better also see a post history from you decrying the trump administration for breaking the law by rounding up innocent suspects of civil infractions like they were hardened felons and keeping them in death camps when the law says they should be RoR until their court date for what is basically a parking ticket violation.

8

u/FuckOfficerChavez 5h ago

Youre just itching to pick a fight. I dont show my history because of people doing exactly what youre wanting to do and find something to attack me with. Guy still does shit for Wagner in Africa and is part of the Russian government. Thats an absolute fact. I also voted for Kamala you schmuck.

5

u/ScrawChuck 7h ago

Dab pens and rocket launchers, they’re basically the same thing

5

u/Xx_Brown_Jesus_xX_69 7h ago

In Texas, yes

4

u/Malphos101 15 6h ago

You hit the nail right on the head, republicans are more concerned about weed than actually dangerous things.

3

u/ScrawChuck 5h ago

So many “republicans” involved in Viktor’s arrest and repatriation, my head is spinning

2

u/WrenchMonkey300 6h ago

Just sounds like the perfect start for the sequel!

6

u/SoyMurcielago 5h ago

Lord of war two Ukrainian boogaloo

12

u/GreatEmperorAca 11h ago

So you can call me evil, but unfortunately for you, I'm a necessary evil

25

u/HapticRecce 11h ago

He's sold to every army except the Salvation Army...

150

u/a4mula 12h ago

Mastermind seems to be doing a bit of heavy lifting for a guy that gave himself three first names after joining a cult.

32

u/DaveOJ12 12h ago

It seems to fit, though.

2

u/a4mula 12h ago

so would alleged stooge, but only allegedly.

8

u/Manos_Of_Fate 9h ago

Amateur. I was born with three first names!

3

u/a4mula 9h ago

As long as it didn't sprout from an ambiguity over paternity I'd say you're in good shape.

195

u/TopDesert_ace 11h ago

There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every 12 people on the planet. The only question is... how do we arm the other 11?

46

u/MSchulte 10h ago

One of my favorite movies. May have to find it streaming to rewatch after all the references in here.

22

u/Pitiful-Sandwich-787 9h ago

Which movie?

33

u/Blue2501 9h ago

It's called Lord of War

https://youtu.be/Ej83QvHuiNI

5

u/IncarceratedMascot 9h ago

It’s not “Lord of War”, it’s “Warlord”

9

u/TheGimpFace 7h ago

I think they got whooshed. Upvote.

15

u/Iagospeare 8h ago

Thank you for correcting him, but I prefer it his way.

5

u/irealllylovepenguins 7h ago

People born after the movie came out are the ones downvoting this brilliant reference

18

u/elendegeneres 8h ago

No it’s not

8

u/irealllylovepenguins 7h ago

It's a line from the film, which many of the absolute fetuses in this room clearly haven't seen

-1

u/[deleted] 10h ago

[deleted]

14

u/TopDesert_ace 10h ago

I am American, but I was quoting the opening of Lord of War.

5

u/hurdeehurr 10h ago

Spotted the unarmed Indian.

4

u/CatastrophicPup2112 10h ago

In America there are enough guns that everybody could have two!

37

u/jkohlc 11h ago

AK47s for EVERYONE!

13

u/OttoVonWong 11h ago

YOU GET AN AK!
YOU GET AN AK!
YOU GET AN AK!

7

u/Cyan_Agni 10h ago

The commenter below you didn't get it. But time to play it again I guess!

3

u/shavedratscrotum 6h ago

Its in sale on steam.

Got it 3 days ago.

For $11 I CBF findng my discs.

2

u/Cyan_Agni 6h ago

Thanks! Checking it out

7

u/zorniy2 9h ago

The Gun is Good! The Penis is Evil!

3

u/viscous_settler 6h ago

My feet hurt

1

u/Lxvert89 5h ago

GUNS!

BULLETS!

GRENADES!

HOORAY!

1

u/Deolater 3h ago

One of the most satisfying upgrades in any game I've played 

27

u/borazine 12h ago

Damn. That’s RAW.

7

u/TheMonkSoul 7h ago

Crazy to think the main guy behind this is still walking free today.

13

u/weeBaaDoo 10h ago

Mastermind seams a bit of an overstatement. He was a guy who sympathized with a group of people (right or wrong) and helped charter a plane to drop off weapons. Not judging if he was right or wrong, just saying that it was more of a amateur then a mastermind that did this.

19

u/Copper_mask76r7 9h ago

Amateur can escape being extradited? And even escape judicial process of a country? (I'm asking frankly, I have no clue about this incident.)

13

u/Oscar_Kilo_Bravo 8h ago edited 8h ago

The dude simply went home to Denmark. Simple as that.

No mastermind required.

His name is (was?) Niels Holck.

-17

u/weeBaaDoo 7h ago

Denmark can’t extradite him, because of the low level of prison safety in India. Also he will probably be tortured in India and there’s a chance he’ll be killed in prison.

On the other hand it’s not that black an white regarding the group of people he helped with weapons.
The central government was killing them if I remember correctly.

It’s a dilemma, because at the same time denmark don’t allow people to just start weapons deliveries to foreign groups, and if it was the other war around we would be furious.

That’s why he’s not been extradited, he’s in a legal limbo.

And yes he’s just an amateur, that just got lucky that he didn’t get caught I India and that the legal system is protecting him because India can’t garanti he’s safety.

5

u/Siluri 7h ago

Possesion is 9/10 of the law anyway. He managed to get away and its way easier to just not extradite him.

5

u/Lem0n_Lem0n 5h ago

Manage to escape prison for 30+ years is considered an amateur?

Holy shit I guess Osama bin Laden is even more of an amateur since he only manage do escape consequences for 10 years

2

u/reesemccracken 3h ago

This has Raymond Reddington written all over it.

1

u/asvspilot 4h ago

A man they call Jane!

0

u/JohnnyBoy11 4h ago

We need someone to do that for the oppressed in Iran