Cuttack: In a significant breakthrough, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police busted an inter-state illegal arms trade racket operating in the heart of Cuttack.
A surprise raid in the Malgodown area led to the arrest of a notorious arms dealer, Kadua alias Devdutt Singh Behera, along with five of his associates.
The operation has raised serious concerns over how illegal firearms continue to enter the twin cities despite heightened security measures.
According to Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh, the raid was launched following specific intelligence that Kadua, a repeat offender with a history of arms dealing, was active in the Jobra area under Malgodown police limits. During the initial arrest, police recovered a 7.5 mm pistol and five live rounds from his possession.
Upon interrogation, Kadua confessed to sourcing six firearms from Bihar and revealed that some had already been sold to individuals in Cuttack. Acting swiftly, the police apprehended five more suspects — identified as Raja, Nanda, Hapi, Tapu, and Bidu. All six accused have been produced in court.
In total, police seized five firearms, 13 live rounds, three mobile phones, and a Suzuki scooter believed to be used in the illegal trade.
“Kadua was previously involved in a similar case. This time, we acted on credible intelligence and carried out a successful raid with the help of our special squad and Malgodown Police,” said Commissioner Singh at a press conference.
“Given the inter-state nature of the racket, further investigations are underway to trace the full network of arms suppliers and buyers,” he added.
The case has sparked serious questions about the security lapses that allowed such a network to operate in Cuttack.
Authorities are now focused on identifying the buyers who received illegal firearms and are probing the possible links to criminal activities in the region.
