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THE NIGHT IT RAINED GUNS: Unravelling the Purulia Arms Drop Conspiracy
On the night of 17-18 December 1995, an aging Russian Antonov-26 plane dropped three weapons-laden wooden pallets over Purulia, a backward, nondescript district in West Bengal. Four days later, the same plane was force-landed at Mumbai’s Santa Cruz airport, from where the mastermind of the operation, Kim Davy aka Niels Christian Nielsen, managed a daring escape.
Who were the end-users of the weapons? Why were they airdropped over that particular region? Were they, as claimed later, meant for the shady cult, the Ananda Marga? Was it an effort to topple the CPI (M)-ruled state government of West Bengal? Or was it a conspiracy of international proportions, spanning continents and masterminded by a global superpower?
As a reporter for The Telegraph and, later, the Hindustan Times, Chandan Nandy broke several stories on this bizarre covert operation. Nineteen years after the sensational arms drop, in this book, he exposes the grave lapses committed by India’s security agencies and pieces together the story of how the operation was planned and executed. He brings to light as-yet undisclosed evidence about the end-users, whose identity still remains a mystery. Based on scores of interviews with R&AW, IB and CBI insiders and relying on classified documents, The Night it Rained Guns is a riveting exploration of India’s greatest security breaches.
Who were the end-users of the weapons? Why were they airdropped over that particular region? Were they, as claimed later, meant for the shady cult, the Ananda Marga? Was it an effort to topple the CPI (M)-ruled state government of West Bengal? Or was it a conspiracy of international proportions, spanning continents and masterminded by a global superpower?
As a reporter for The Telegraph and, later, the Hindustan Times, Chandan Nandy broke several stories on this bizarre covert operation. Nineteen years after the sensational arms drop, in this book, he exposes the grave lapses committed by India’s security agencies and pieces together the story of how the operation was planned and executed. He brings to light as-yet undisclosed evidence about the end-users, whose identity still remains a mystery. Based on scores of interviews with R&AW, IB and CBI insiders and relying on classified documents, The Night it Rained Guns is a riveting exploration of India’s greatest security breaches.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 18, 2018
An incisive, thoroughly investigated account of the Purulia Arms drop incident that was splashed all over the news a few years back. The meticulously researched account goes into details of the spread of unscruplous arms dealers after the end of the cold war, the ineptness of the Indian bureaucracy and investigative agencies. The book also goes into some detail about the western powers conspiracy angle which does seem plausible given all the evidence in the book.
The narrative is well-paced, though it is somewhat more detailed like a case-file and some parts are reiterated in the second half of the book. The book follows the multi-decade intriguing story about how it was planned, executed and eventually unraveled quite well.
The narrative is well-paced, though it is somewhat more detailed like a case-file and some parts are reiterated in the second half of the book. The book follows the multi-decade intriguing story about how it was planned, executed and eventually unraveled quite well.
October 19, 2016
I still remember waking up on a cold December morning in 1995 to newspaper reports of a mysterious cache of highly sophisticated arms which was air-dropped on a deserted region of Purulia district in West Bengal, 250 km west of Calcutta, on the night of the preceding day. The five-ton haul included rocket launchers, rocket-propelled anti-tank grenades, 300 AK-47 assault rifles, 250,000 rounds of ammunition and other assorted weapons – enough to arm a mini army.
Five days later the small AN-26 Russian plane which was responsible for the drop was intercepted and forced down at Mumbai’s Santa Cruz airport as it tried to fly out of the country from Phuket via Madras. The protagonist of the clandestine mission – ‘Kim Davy’ – mysteriously disappeared from the tarmac and fled the country, while the five Latvian crew members and the British arms dealer – Peter Bleach were arrested and incarcerated in Presidency Jail in Calcutta till they were released 9 years later through diplomatic channels.
Despite intelligence reports received by RAW from British MI5, which detailed the tentative location of the drop and timing, why did the Indian authorities fail to follow up on the leads? Were the arms meant for the quasi-religious organisation Ananda Marga to fight the then Marxist government in WB, as we were led to believe initially, or was there a larger conspiracy afoot involving CIA, that mother of all dirty-tricks missions?
Based on meticulous research conducted over 18 years and extensive interviews of intelligence personnel who were closely associated with the bewildering case, Chandan Nandy recreates the conspiracy in all its myriad details, a conspiracy that spanned several continents and stakeholders who were – as it happens in any wider conspiracy with international ramifications – unaware of the links that connected them together in a post-Cold War era flush with copious volumes of arms, looking for new markets.
At the centre of the complex web, holding and manipulating all the strings together like a master puppeteer, stood a mysterious Dane in his early 30s – Niels Christian Nielson aka Kim Davy, who went by 36 different aliases and possessed 15 passports, slinking in and out of countries like a chameleon, striking deals, negotiating with insurgent groups, smuggling gold and arms, setting up airline companies, all with an ease that could rival the best of fiction characters from iconic spy novels.
A riveting account which is a must read, for the sheer thrill of it, and also for the realisation that we inhabit a world of intersecting conspiracies whose intricacies, modus operandi and magnitude humble us into insignificance – despite all our posturing of personal and professional feats.
Five days later the small AN-26 Russian plane which was responsible for the drop was intercepted and forced down at Mumbai’s Santa Cruz airport as it tried to fly out of the country from Phuket via Madras. The protagonist of the clandestine mission – ‘Kim Davy’ – mysteriously disappeared from the tarmac and fled the country, while the five Latvian crew members and the British arms dealer – Peter Bleach were arrested and incarcerated in Presidency Jail in Calcutta till they were released 9 years later through diplomatic channels.
Despite intelligence reports received by RAW from British MI5, which detailed the tentative location of the drop and timing, why did the Indian authorities fail to follow up on the leads? Were the arms meant for the quasi-religious organisation Ananda Marga to fight the then Marxist government in WB, as we were led to believe initially, or was there a larger conspiracy afoot involving CIA, that mother of all dirty-tricks missions?
Based on meticulous research conducted over 18 years and extensive interviews of intelligence personnel who were closely associated with the bewildering case, Chandan Nandy recreates the conspiracy in all its myriad details, a conspiracy that spanned several continents and stakeholders who were – as it happens in any wider conspiracy with international ramifications – unaware of the links that connected them together in a post-Cold War era flush with copious volumes of arms, looking for new markets.
At the centre of the complex web, holding and manipulating all the strings together like a master puppeteer, stood a mysterious Dane in his early 30s – Niels Christian Nielson aka Kim Davy, who went by 36 different aliases and possessed 15 passports, slinking in and out of countries like a chameleon, striking deals, negotiating with insurgent groups, smuggling gold and arms, setting up airline companies, all with an ease that could rival the best of fiction characters from iconic spy novels.
A riveting account which is a must read, for the sheer thrill of it, and also for the realisation that we inhabit a world of intersecting conspiracies whose intricacies, modus operandi and magnitude humble us into insignificance – despite all our posturing of personal and professional feats.
December 31, 2025
On the intermittent night of 17-18th December 1995, an ageing Russian Antonov-26 disgorged five tonnes of arms and ammunition over Purulia District, the westernmost district of West Bengal. This sensational airdrop hit the media frenzy, scandalising and befuddling all and sundry. The true purpose of dropping this massive cache was a mystery back then and even till date has not been convincingly explained. Theories have oscillated from the requirements of these arms by the right-wing Ananda Margis to topple the CPI(M) Government in West Bengal, to the insurrectionists in Myanmar, and even in Bangladesh, but none of the latter two have seemingly held true, but for Ananda Marga, which too, misses the beat resolvably.
I vividly remember the journalist by the name of Chandan Nandy covering the issue extensively as part of The Indian Express and The Hindustan Times. Eventually the frenzy evaporated and the country was mired in the upcoming general elections in the summer months of 1996. But what happened in Purulia on the cold night of December 1995 was grave enough to question of the intelligence authorities of India, and all the more so as the Russian aircraft with the deadly inventory made refueling halts in Varanasi before the airdrop and in Calcutta after the airdrop, and again in Madras on its way back from Phuket in Thailand before being forced to land at Mumbai. To turn the whole episode Ludlumesque, the mastermind behind the operation upon landing in Mumbai walked off to the terminal and outside into the world without getting zeroed in on before crossing over to Nepal.
The details of the bewildering case slowly started to emerge. The lethal cache wasn't even any baroque arsenal, but five tonnes of arms and ammunition, including AK-47s, magazines, grenades and anti-tank missiles, secured in three wooden pallets fastened to parachutes, and flung down from the belly of the plane when it came dangerously close to the ground over Purulia. The inventory was discovered on the morning of the 18th by a pastoralist, who immediately modified the police. The police swung into action and recovered as much as they could. When the intelligence authorities got in, their plan of action wasn't even skeletal to begin with. Though, they managed to force land the Antonov-26 in Bombay, and arrested the British attend dealer Peter Bleach and the five Latvian crew members, the mastermind by the name of Kim Davy aka Niels Christian Nielsen just disappeared into thin air. The CBI, IB and the R&AW were quite inadequately prepared to handle the situation, despite the R&AW being alarmed by the British of such an event, which the Indian officials merely thought of as a gravy plot. The Indian side was so underprepared that it smelled of lassitude and indolence of not outright incompetence.
The concocted plot originated in Denmark, then vouchsafed in England, before the Bulgarian manufacturer supplied the arms to be dropped by an erstwhile plane belonging to Latvia. The global connectography travels from Sudan to Taiwan to the US, Thailand, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and Pakistan pointing at the conspiracy far wider than could be anticipated. The loud-mouthed politician from Bihar, Pappu Yadav's name was dragged in. On the global scale, the CIA was often considered as the harbinger of the plot. Though these suspicions wee later diluted, they aren't yet outside the orbit convincingly. With such a global clout, the obvious question remains - who was the vaccine intended for? That's where the role of the Ananda Marga comes in.
The CBI investigation pointed towards a socio-spiritual organization called Ananda Marga, which had a significant presence in Purulia, and headquartered in the Anandanagar in the district. Once banned in India and accused of involvement in violent clashes with cadres of the CPI(M), Ananda Marga had long claimed persecution under the Left Front government in West Bengal. Holck (Kim Davy, after he married and took his wife's surname) himself stated in interviews that the weapons were intended to help the group defend itself from CPI(M) attacks. He alleged that the operation had the tacit approval of Indian intelligence officials, and claimed that it was even encouraged by some within the Indian government to destabilize the longstanding Left regime in the state. Peter Bleach, too, echoed Holck's claims — alleging that both British and Indian intelligence agencies were aware of the arms drop. The angle of Anand Marga becomes pointed as Kim Davy had been an Anand Margi, and was helped by a couple of persons of Indian origin who were adepts of the sect. But Ajit Doval, now the Indian NSA quite rationally put it that the spiritual group wouldn't actually have the necessary manpower and training to use such a large inventory of military-grade weaponry. Even Peter Bleach, who when arrested was imprisoned for life was released in 2008 after converted efforts by the British seeking his acquittal. This further complicated the case giving rise to a situation where attempts were made to conceal from the public something conspiratorially sinister. In recent times, the person who ferried the group on their visit to Varanasi before the arms drop happened was found murdered, making the case even murkier.
To this day, the Purulia arms drop remains a symbol of India's murky entanglements with covert operations, global intelligence networks, and internal political rivalries. Chandan Nandy end on a despondent note, when he says,
"This is as far as I go with this immensely vexing, extraordinarily complex and tangled, but absorbing case".
The Government of India has been trying to get Kim Davy extradited, but has so far not succeeded as the Danes have simply turned down any such Indian offer. But will it ever succeed in unearthing a mysterious occurrence that has rendered a shadow world where ideology, espionage, and geopolitical power games intersect to finally being it to a conclusive and logical closure?
I vividly remember the journalist by the name of Chandan Nandy covering the issue extensively as part of The Indian Express and The Hindustan Times. Eventually the frenzy evaporated and the country was mired in the upcoming general elections in the summer months of 1996. But what happened in Purulia on the cold night of December 1995 was grave enough to question of the intelligence authorities of India, and all the more so as the Russian aircraft with the deadly inventory made refueling halts in Varanasi before the airdrop and in Calcutta after the airdrop, and again in Madras on its way back from Phuket in Thailand before being forced to land at Mumbai. To turn the whole episode Ludlumesque, the mastermind behind the operation upon landing in Mumbai walked off to the terminal and outside into the world without getting zeroed in on before crossing over to Nepal.
The details of the bewildering case slowly started to emerge. The lethal cache wasn't even any baroque arsenal, but five tonnes of arms and ammunition, including AK-47s, magazines, grenades and anti-tank missiles, secured in three wooden pallets fastened to parachutes, and flung down from the belly of the plane when it came dangerously close to the ground over Purulia. The inventory was discovered on the morning of the 18th by a pastoralist, who immediately modified the police. The police swung into action and recovered as much as they could. When the intelligence authorities got in, their plan of action wasn't even skeletal to begin with. Though, they managed to force land the Antonov-26 in Bombay, and arrested the British attend dealer Peter Bleach and the five Latvian crew members, the mastermind by the name of Kim Davy aka Niels Christian Nielsen just disappeared into thin air. The CBI, IB and the R&AW were quite inadequately prepared to handle the situation, despite the R&AW being alarmed by the British of such an event, which the Indian officials merely thought of as a gravy plot. The Indian side was so underprepared that it smelled of lassitude and indolence of not outright incompetence.
The concocted plot originated in Denmark, then vouchsafed in England, before the Bulgarian manufacturer supplied the arms to be dropped by an erstwhile plane belonging to Latvia. The global connectography travels from Sudan to Taiwan to the US, Thailand, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and Pakistan pointing at the conspiracy far wider than could be anticipated. The loud-mouthed politician from Bihar, Pappu Yadav's name was dragged in. On the global scale, the CIA was often considered as the harbinger of the plot. Though these suspicions wee later diluted, they aren't yet outside the orbit convincingly. With such a global clout, the obvious question remains - who was the vaccine intended for? That's where the role of the Ananda Marga comes in.
The CBI investigation pointed towards a socio-spiritual organization called Ananda Marga, which had a significant presence in Purulia, and headquartered in the Anandanagar in the district. Once banned in India and accused of involvement in violent clashes with cadres of the CPI(M), Ananda Marga had long claimed persecution under the Left Front government in West Bengal. Holck (Kim Davy, after he married and took his wife's surname) himself stated in interviews that the weapons were intended to help the group defend itself from CPI(M) attacks. He alleged that the operation had the tacit approval of Indian intelligence officials, and claimed that it was even encouraged by some within the Indian government to destabilize the longstanding Left regime in the state. Peter Bleach, too, echoed Holck's claims — alleging that both British and Indian intelligence agencies were aware of the arms drop. The angle of Anand Marga becomes pointed as Kim Davy had been an Anand Margi, and was helped by a couple of persons of Indian origin who were adepts of the sect. But Ajit Doval, now the Indian NSA quite rationally put it that the spiritual group wouldn't actually have the necessary manpower and training to use such a large inventory of military-grade weaponry. Even Peter Bleach, who when arrested was imprisoned for life was released in 2008 after converted efforts by the British seeking his acquittal. This further complicated the case giving rise to a situation where attempts were made to conceal from the public something conspiratorially sinister. In recent times, the person who ferried the group on their visit to Varanasi before the arms drop happened was found murdered, making the case even murkier.
To this day, the Purulia arms drop remains a symbol of India's murky entanglements with covert operations, global intelligence networks, and internal political rivalries. Chandan Nandy end on a despondent note, when he says,
"This is as far as I go with this immensely vexing, extraordinarily complex and tangled, but absorbing case".
The Government of India has been trying to get Kim Davy extradited, but has so far not succeeded as the Danes have simply turned down any such Indian offer. But will it ever succeed in unearthing a mysterious occurrence that has rendered a shadow world where ideology, espionage, and geopolitical power games intersect to finally being it to a conclusive and logical closure?
December 5, 2017
The story of globalization should not be how Bangalore based Infosys works on a 24 hour clock to service off shore clients (I am looking at you Thomas L. Friedman's The World is Flat). Rather it is when a British firm in cahoots with a Dane, airdrops Chinese made weapons financed with Hong Kong money and manned by Latvian personnel, allegedly for a right wing cult in the heart of communist Bengal. Indian journalism does not always cover itself in glory, but this book is the absolute paragon of investigative journalism in the post-Bofors era. Chandan Nandy rounds up all available sources, and then some more, to present a clear, coherent and extremely gripping narrative. It speaks volumes that the author can make dumb logistics of the operation sound as interesting as the spy-chase that followed. The tale goes from interesting to curious to downright bizarre. Do not expect any conflict resolution in this story though, because there are no happy endings (or no endings at all) and no one comes out looking good. That the Indian system is incompetent and corrupt is almost taken as a gospel truth, but what comes as a rude shock is that things are not really much better elsewhere. Almost makes you wonder about all the Purulias that they got away with, and no one lived to tell the tale. Never thought I would be quoting Megatron (Michael Bay's Transformers infamy) in a book review, but "You know what you are told, which is nothing." Would shelve with A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
April 4, 2018
An excellent piece of investigative journalism uncovering the Purulia Arms Drop Conspiracy. The investigative work done by the author is really commendable. The author was able to obtain information from various sources in order to uncover the blunder done by various Indian agencies.
January 17, 2019
Repetitive at times, too much data and fractured in the beginning. Wish it was dumbed down for people like me who get confused with numbers. Still, a plethora of important information which no one seems to be taking a notice of. Liked the book.
May 15, 2019
Puruliya Arms drop
Author and investigating journalist has note down complete details about the case. In many place he interviewed people involved and of intelligent agencies. Reading this book is like reading a thriller.
Author and investigating journalist has note down complete details about the case. In many place he interviewed people involved and of intelligent agencies. Reading this book is like reading a thriller.
May 31, 2018
Thrilling description of what was one the most mysterious flights over India and still remains a mystery for many
September 25, 2020
Exceptional book .
March 27, 2018
This book is about the Purulia (western district of West Bengal) arm drop case incident took place on the night of 17-18 Dec 1995. Russian civil aircraft AN-26 was used to drop the large consignment of weapons. The title of the book -“The Night It Rained Guns” justify the contents of the book.
This is a well-researched work by author Mr. Chandan Nandy written in non-fiction style. This book covers entire chain of events right from the planning phase of airdrop arm operation till its execution and aftermath developments. The book put a serious question on the failure part of and lack of coordination among Indian mercenaries, government, and intelligence agencies at that time. Despite prior information about this clandestine arm drop operation, Indian agencies failed to capture the chief accused (Kim davy alias Niels Christian Nielsen) and his mysterious disappearance by breaching the security at Mumbai airport on 21 Dec 1995 left everyone clueless.
I enjoyed the way author narrated the entire series of events and his frank opinion about the suspected hands behind the covert operation. The reference list at the end of the book is really interesting if someone wants to know more and dig deep. My rating is 4.5
This is a well-researched work by author Mr. Chandan Nandy written in non-fiction style. This book covers entire chain of events right from the planning phase of airdrop arm operation till its execution and aftermath developments. The book put a serious question on the failure part of and lack of coordination among Indian mercenaries, government, and intelligence agencies at that time. Despite prior information about this clandestine arm drop operation, Indian agencies failed to capture the chief accused (Kim davy alias Niels Christian Nielsen) and his mysterious disappearance by breaching the security at Mumbai airport on 21 Dec 1995 left everyone clueless.
I enjoyed the way author narrated the entire series of events and his frank opinion about the suspected hands behind the covert operation. The reference list at the end of the book is really interesting if someone wants to know more and dig deep. My rating is 4.5
January 8, 2015
This is one really well researched book and gleaning from his sources in various intelligence agencies, the author has done an awesome job putting all the available facts of the case on the table. What really takes the cake about this book is the fact that the author packs all these facts and figures into a riveting narrative of what remains one of modern India's well known intelligence failures.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews