Bhubaneswar: Special Crime Unit of Commissionerate Police seized five semi-automatic pistols with 24 rounds of live ammunition following simultaneous raids carried out at three different locations. Two anti-socials were arrested in this connection, the Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Kumar Panda informed in a press conference held here today.
The two arrested are Suraj Parida (25), a Diploma Engineer in Electrical and son of late Ashok Parida from Sarakantra under Khandagiri police limits of Khurda, and Tapudhara Nayak (31), son of Shankarsan Nayak from Keshpur under Soro police limits of Balasore district.
According to police sources, acting on credible intelligence, the unit raided locations such as Hansapal on NH-16, Sarakantara, and Tamando yesterday between 2.00 pm and 8.00 pm seizing a 9 MM pistol, four 7.65 MM bore pistols along with 24 live bullets. Police have also seized a mobile phone and a motorcycle used in the crime from the possession of the arrested criminals.
An organised wing, led by ACP KK Hariprasad along with inspectors Santosh Kumar Behera and Soumya Ranjan Biswal, took part in the raid. Efforts by the Special Crime Unit will continue unabated to dismantle criminal networks and disrupt the flow of illicit weapons, the Police Commissioner stated.
The accused persons will be produced in a local court today.
The unit will pray for their custodial interrogation to collect further evidence and unearth the entire network of illicit firearms trade in the city. The procurement of these arms is suspected to have links with Munger of Bihar and the probe team is working on information in this regard.
Notably, Bablu alias Subrat Khuntia is the key accused of illegally procuring the firearms and circulating them in the city. Bablu is wanted in the brown sugar case of SCU PS case (No-4/2024) and is absconding. Three weapons have been recovered from the house of Bablu and one each from the two accused persons apprehended by the team.
