In a major success against illegal arms trade, the Special Task Force (STF) team of the Crime Branch arrested two firearm smugglers at Bhapur of Dhenkanal district on Friday.Nine country-made shotguns and one revolver were reportedly seized from their possession.
The accused were identified as Kalandi Nayak from Radhakrishnapur village of Cuttack district and Shyam Sundar Sitt from Baliamba village in Dhenkanal district.The duo were interrogated and forwarded to a local court later on the day, said sources. During the search operation, the STF team seized the firearms along with other incriminating materials. A case under Sections 25/27 of under Arms Act has been registered in this connection and further investigation into the case is underway. “As per the preliminary investigation, it has been ascertained that the seized country-made firearms were manufactured for criminals of Dhenkanal district.
They were involved in a number of cases related to illegal manufacturing of firearms in Dhenkanal and other areas,” said a Crime Branch official.“Their identity has been established. Step is being taken to apprehend them soon,” he said.Notably, the STF has so far seized 56 firearms and 91 rounds of live ammunitions in their drive against illegal arms and ammunitions from 2020.