Bhanjanagar: In a significant breakthrough, the Ganjam district police have intensified their crackdown on illegal arms possession, achieving another success in a special operation conducted in Bhanjanagar. The police have arrested nine persons and seized a substantial cache of weapons, including five pistols, two toy pistols, 16 rounds of live ammunition, a knife, a sword, and five mobile phones from their possession.
Addressing a presser here on Tuesday, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ranjan Kumar Dey informed that the operation was part of a targeted effort by the Bhanjanagar police to curb illegal arms activities.
A dedicated team was formed to conduct raids across various locations in the area. The breakthrough came during a nighttime patrol on Monday when police received a tip-off about suspicious individuals to have gathered inside the Jilundi Tarini Temple, Dey said.
Upon arriving at the scene, the police apprehended four suspects—Saroj Das from Bhubaneswar’s Nayapalli, Braj Mohan Sahu from the Belaguntha police station area, Anil Behera from Kaindi village, and Sanatan Pradhan from Lalsingi who attempted to flee. During interrogation, the suspects revealed that five others were hiding in a rented house in Landeisahi.
The ASP said that acting swiftly, the police raided the rented house in Landeisahi and arrested the remaining suspects: Divyang Aarukh from Agajhola village, Sunil Sabat from Jampali, Sangram Kishore Bhuyan from Landei Sahi, Badal Sahu from Jilundi, and Tukuna Patra from Binjhigiri. A thorough search led to the recovery of the illegal firearms, ammunition, and other weapons, he added.
Dey commended the operation, emphasizing the police’s commitment to tackling illegal arms trafficking in the region. The operation involved key personnel, including Sub-Divisional Police Officer Sujit Kumar Nayak, IIC Jibananda Jena, Sub-Inspectors Samir Kumar Sethi, Lakshmidhar Mahanti, Lipina Bishwal, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Satya Narayan Malik, and Sharat Chandra Panda, along with other police staff.
The arrested individuals are currently under investigation, and further inquiries are underway to uncover any larger networks involved in the illegal arms trade, Dey added.
