Rourkela: In a major crackdown, three persons, including the alleged kingpin, were arrested by the police in connection with an interstate illegal arms racket in Odisha’s Rourkela city on Tuesday.
Sources said the arrest was made during a raid conducted by the police based on intelligence inputs. The kingpin has been identified as Ratan Kumar Shaw (58) of Basanti Colony in Rourkela.
Police said Shaw and his accomplices lured people by promising All India Arms Licenses along with firearms for amounts ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.
Investigation revealed that the racket operated across Rourkela, Kolkata, and Nagaland, using forged documents to obtain licenses which were later distributed to buyers in Rourkela.
A senior police official said it was a well-organised interstate network in which the accused used forged documents to procure arms licenses from Nagaland, which were then sold to unsuspecting individuals in Rourkela.
During raids, police seized one .32 NP Bore Pistol (Webley & Scott), two revolvers, 35 rounds of live ammunition, forged arms licenses from Nagaland and ADM Rourkela, and mobile phones containing incriminating digital evidence.
Further investigation is in progress to trace additional links and identify others involved in the racket.
