Berhampur: In a major crackdown on criminal activities, the Berhampur police have arrested seven persons allegedly involved in unlawful operations across different parts of the city.
The arrests, which followed a series of coordinated raids, were announced in a statement issued by the police on Saturday.
Acting on credible intelligence inputs regarding suspicious movements and planned crimes in the Gosaninuagaon and Baidyanathpur areas, joint teams from the respective police stations conducted raids at multiple locations.
From the Gosaninuagaon area, five individuals were taken into custody. The accused have been identified as Suraj Padhi, aged 39, a resident of Lakshminarasimhasahi under the jurisdiction of Badabazar police station in Ganjam district; Gobardhan Patra, 38, from Kulandi village under Bhanjanagar police station; Sunil Kumar Sahu, 34, from Shastrinagar under Gosaninuagaon police station; Sumant Patra, 39, from Tirumala village under Jatni police station in Khordha district; and Rabindra Maharana, 50, from Hadapada village under Jankia police station.
During the operation, police seized a cache of weapons and related items from their possession, including nine live bullets, a country-made pistol, an air gun, five country-made bombs, six mobile phones, and as many as 22 ATM cards, which are suspected to have been used in financial crimes.
In a parallel raid in the Baidyanathpur area, two more individuals were arrested. They were identified as Ranjan Gouda, 40, of Narayanpur village under Jarada police station in Ganjam district, and Sushil Kumar Panda, 47, of Ramachandrapur village under K. Nuagaon police station in Berhampur. The police confiscated three pistols, six magazines, ₹1,11,500 in cash, and a high-end four-wheeler vehicle from the duo. The nature of the weapons and the amount of cash recovered indicate the seriousness and possible scale of the crimes being planned.
Berhampur police officials have stated that further investigation is underway to determine the extent of the accused’s involvement in previous incidents and to identify any wider criminal network they may be part of.
The successful raids reflect the police’s intensified efforts to ensure public safety and dismantle organized crime in the region. Authorities have urged citizens to continue supporting law enforcement efforts by reporting suspicious activities promptly.
