Jharsuguda: In a major crackdown on illegal arms under ongoing Operation NETRA, Brajrajnagar police in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Tuesday busted a smuggling racket with the arrest of five persons along with five country-made pistols.
Those arrested have been identified as Santosh Biswal, Devendra Pal Singh, Sandeep Das, Kahneya Sahis and MD Munna, all residents of Jharsuguda district.
According to police, coordinated raids were carried out last night on credible intelligence. Two suspects were initially apprehended near Biju Patnaik Square and two pistols were seize
d from their possession. The duo, during questioning, revealed that three of their associates were waiting at Rampur football field. Police then conducted another raid and arrested the remaining three. Three additional pistols were seized from them.
A total of five country-made pistols, four live rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle were seized.
Primary investigation revealed that the firearms were allegedly brought from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and the accused intended to use them for extortion and criminal activities in the region. “This is a huge success for Brajarajnagar police. The accused persons had procured the firearms to extort money from people in mining and mineral-rich Brajarajnagar town,” Jharsuguda SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra told a presser.
In 2025-2025, Jharsuguda police have busted inter-district drug rackets, apprehended cyber fraud offenders, and solved burglary cases within 48 hours under Operation NETRA, launched as a major initiative against crime.