Major arms trafficking network busted in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar (By Abhishek Mohanty): The Special Crime Unit of the Commissionerate Police on Saturday arrested two suspected members of a major illegal arms trafficking network, recovering a carbine and more than 10 semi-automatic pistols from their possession. Police also seized ammunition, a vehicle, and multiple mobile phones from the duo, who hail from Angul and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha.
The seized carbine is typically used by police forces, armed units, and Maoist groups.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the two were working as middlemen in a larger inter-state arms supply chain, sourcing weapons from illicit manufacturers in Bihar.
Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh said that the Commissionerate Police has been intensifying its crackdown on inter-district and inter-state criminal networks in recent months. “A total of 11 firearms were recovered today, along with a vehicle and 12 mm live ammunition. In the last two months, 23 such weapons have been seized,” he informed.
The arrested individuals, identified as Sumant Nayak and Soubhagya Nayak, were intercepted on the National Highway while heading toward Berhampur. Police records show that Sumant has six criminal cases against him, while Soubhagya is involved in four.
