Brajrajnagar Police achieved a major breakthrough by foiling a planned murder and dismantling an illegal arms syndicate.
Acting on intelligence under Operation Netra, police seized five pistols, 20 live bullets, and a motorcycle, arresting three accused involved in the racket.
Jharsuguda SP Raghavendra Gundala revealed the details during a press briefing on Tuesday. The arrested individuals were identified as Santosh Khedkar (36) of Telenpali, Vishal Bag (30) of OPM Colony, and Bunti Prasad (34) of Lamti Bahal, the main supplier.
Police teams led by SI Prabhakar Patra, ASI Purnima Oram, and ASI Abhaya Mohanty raided near the Shiv Temple early in the morning based on credible intelligence. Officers recovered four loaded pistols from Santosh and Vishal and later arrested Banti, seizing another firearm from him.
Investigations revealed that Bunti sourced high-quality country-made pistols from the Vaishali district in Bihar and sold them to Santosh and Vishal for Rs 50,000 each. The accused allegedly planned to use the weapons in a revenge-driven murder.
SP Gundala stated that the trio faces charges under Sections 111(4) of BNS and 25(1), 25(1B)(a), 25(7), and 29 of the Arms Act. Police have forwarded them to court.
