In a significant crackdown on illegal arms trafficking, the Commissionerate Police’s Airport Police Station under Bhubaneswar UPD executed a raid in the Pokhariput area this morning, leading to the arrest of five individuals, including four interstate arms traffickers from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and a local associate from Salepur, Cuttack.
The operation resulted in the seizure of six illegal firearms, 18 rounds of live ammunition, a vehicle, and five mobile phones, dealing a major blow to an illicit arms network operating in Odisha.
Acting on reliable intelligence, the police intercepted a suspicious vehicle (Reg. GJ-27-DM-5196) in Pokhariput, apprehending the accused on the spot. The arrested individuals were identified as Prabin Kumar Singh (40), Raghvendra Singh (28), Abhishek Rajput (31), and Indrajit Singh (38) from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, along with Sk. Sakil (28) from Salepur, Cuttack. The seized items included four 7.65mm semi-automatic pistols, one six-round revolver, one single-shot firearm, 18 rounds of live ammunition, and five mobile phones.
In a press briefing held on Friday afternoon, Police Commissioner Dr. S. Dev Datta Singh, IPS, in the presence of Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena, IPS, addressed the media, detailing the operation. “The operation was launched based on specific intelligence, and the swift action by our team led to the dismantling of a dangerous arms trafficking network,” Dr. Singh stated. “We are verifying the criminal antecedents of the accused and investigating their supply routes to prevent further proliferation of illegal arms in Odisha.”
Preliminary investigations reveal that Prabin Kumar Singh, a native of Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, had been residing in Bhubaneswar’s Jatni Gate area for the past two months, operating as a professional arms peddler. He sourced illegal firearms from other states and worked with his interstate associates—Raghvendra Singh, Abhishek Rajput, and Indrajit Singh—in a well-organised trafficking network. Sk. Sakil, the local associate, was present to procure firearms from the gang when the police swooped in.
The Commissionerate Police emphasised their commitment to curbing illegal arms trafficking and urged citizens to report suspicious activities to aid in maintaining public safety. The investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the network and its operations across state borders.
