Firearms Smuggling Racket Busted in Bhubaneswar; Five Arrested
Describing it as a significant breakthrough against organised crime, police officials revealed that the arrested individuals include criminals from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha’s Cuttack district.
Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on illegal arms trafficking, the Odisha Police on Friday busted an interstate firearm smuggling racket and arrested five persons involved in the trade. Six firearms, 18 rounds of live ammunition, a vehicle, and multiple mobile phones were seized during the operation, which exposed a clandestine supply chain stretching from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Odisha.
Describing it as a significant breakthrough against organised crime, police officials revealed that the arrested individuals include criminals from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha’s Cuttack district. The gang had been actively procuring weapons from firearm markets in northern India and distributing them across various parts of the country, including Odisha.
According to official sources, the gang had been operating through well-established interstate routes, carefully avoiding detection at regular checkpoints. The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Twin City Police launched the coordinated operation based on intelligence inputs, aiming to disrupt the illegal arms network and enhance regional security.
Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh, addressing a press conference, said, “In our sustained drive against crime and criminal elements, we achieved a significant breakthrough by busting an interstate firearm trading syndicate. We seized six firearms, 18 rounds of live ammunition, a car, and mobile phones from their possession. The five arrested accused include three from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, one from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, and one local associate from Salepur in Cuttack district.”
The seized firearms were sent for forensic examination to trace their origins and possible involvement in past criminal incidents. Meanwhile, police have intensified interrogation of the accused to unearth the full extent of the racket and identify other operatives associated with the network.
Commissionerate Police confirmed that efforts to dismantle illegal firearms networks would continue in the coming days, with heightened surveillance, intelligence-based raids, and coordination with other state police forces.
“This operation is part of our ongoing campaign to secure the region and curb the proliferation of illegal weapons, which pose a serious threat to public safety,” Singh added.
Further investigations were underway to establish possible links between the accused and organised crime syndicates operating in eastern and northern India.
