Bhubaneswar: To ensure the peaceful, disciplined and secure celebration of Makar Sankranti across the State, the Odisha Police conducted a massive statewide enforcement drive titled “Operation Strike” on January 14. The coordinated campaign, launched on the eve of the festival, covered all 34 police districts and focused on curbing crime, ensuring public safety and maintaining law and order.
The operation targeted a wide range of criminal activities including drunk driving, narcotics trafficking, illegal arms smuggling, gambling, minor mineral theft and cattle smuggling. Police teams also identified and arrested individuals involved in non-bailable offences as part of the intensified crackdown.
During the drive, police registered 367 excise-related cases and seized a substantial quantity of illicit liquor, including 35,599 litres of country liquor and 571.261 litres of foreign liquor. In addition, 38 bottles of cough syrup were confiscated and 22 persons were arrested in connection with these cases.
Action against illegal gambling resulted in raids on multiple gambling dens across the state, leading to the registration of 12 cases, the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of cash amounting to Rs. 1.08 lakh. Enforcement against drunk driving remained a key focus, with 272 cases registered and fines totalling Rs. 11.89 lakh collected from offenders.
The campaign also dealt a significant blow to narcotics smuggling. Police registered 10 cases and arrested 13 persons, seizing 159 kilograms of ganja, 89.01 grams of brown sugar, along with firearms, lethal weapons and four-wheeled vehicles used in the illegal trade.
In cases related to illegal firearms trafficking, four cases were registered during the operation. Police seized two country-made guns and one pistol, and arrested 11 individuals involved in such offences.
Across the state, a total of 189 persons were arrested in connection with non-bailable offences. Ganjam district reported the highest number of arrests with 47 persons taken into custody, followed by Cuttack Urban district with 20 arrests.
Efforts to curb minor mineral theft and cattle smuggling also yielded results. Police registered 23 cases in this category, arrested seven persons, and seized 24 vehicles involved in illegal sand transportation along with two vehicles used for cattle smuggling.
Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania has issued clear directives to intensify action against hardcore and habitual criminals, curb the smuggling of illegal firearms and lethal weapons, and take strict measures against anti-social elements. Acting on his instructions, all district Superintendents of Police actively participated in the campaign, which was conducted under the overall supervision of Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar.
