Bhubaneswar: In a significant crackdown, Rourkela Police on Tuesday arrested three persons, including the kingpin, in connection with an interstate racket involved in procuring illegal arms licenses.
The kingpin has been identified as Ratan Kumar Shaw (58), a resident of Basanti Colony in Rourkela.
According to the police, Shaw and his accomplices lured individuals by promising All India Arms Licenses along with firearms for amounts ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.
Investigations revealed that the racket operated across Rourkela, Kolkata, and Nagaland, using forged documents to obtain licenses which were later distributed to buyers in Rourkela.
This was a well-organised interstate network. The accused used forged documents to procure arms licenses from Nagaland, which were then sold to unsuspecting individuals in Rourkela,” said Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani.
During raids, police seized one .32 NP Bore Pistol (Webley & Scott), two revolvers (NP FG 25074 & .32 Mark K-III), 35 rounds of live ammunition, forged arms licenses from Nagaland and ADM Rourkela, and mobile phones containing incriminating digital evidence.
Further investigations are underway to trace additional links and identify others involved in the racket.
