Cuttack: Days after an illegal gun factory was unearthed in Bayalis Mouza area of Cuttack district, the Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch on Saturday arrested the mastermind in running the unit.
The arrested accused has been identified as Chagala Khuntia, a hardcore criminal and a resident of Sankarpur in Cuttack.
Police said Khuntia was also the mastermind of the Badambadi murder case. After being arrested earlier in that case, the accused had formed a nexus with other inmates in jail and launched a gun smuggling racket.
He used to source guns from Cuttack and supply them to various districts, cities, and states. He had taken a contract to supply guns to other criminals and had become a key player in the illegal gun trade.
Earlier, the STF had received a tip-off about the illegal gun factory and had raided the premises and seized over 30 guns and arrested four persons. Since then, the STF sleuths were making constant efforts to trace and arrest Khuntia.
Further investigation is underway to uncover the extent of the illegal gun trade and to identify other accused involved in the case.