Illegal gun factory busted in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar : The Special Task Force of Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday busted an illegal gun manufacturing unit in Cuttack and arrested four persons. Acting on intelligence inputs, an STF team raided a place under Bayalis Mouza on Thursday and busted the unit operating inside a makeshift facility near a cattle shed. Police seized more than 30 pistols, gun-making machines, tools and raw materials from the spot. Four inter-state criminals were arrested.

According to STF sources, based on intelligence inputs regarding the manufacturing of illegal firearms by some inter-state criminals in Badadhuleshwar under Bayalis Mouza police station in Cuttack district, a team of STF officers and Cuttack police conducted the raid early on Thursday.

During the raid, the STF team found an illegal arms manufacturing unit operating inside the house of Sarat Chandra Yadav at Badadhuleshwar village. Following a search on the premises, a large quantity of firearm manufacturing materials was recovered. Twenty-nine spare parts of 7 mm pistols with barrels, 80 spare parts of 7 mm pistols, 14 slides of 7 mm pistols, 36 grips of 7 mm pistols, 15 barrels of 7 mm pistols and 14 iron bars were seized.

Additionally, a toolbox containing iron files, hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, drills, tape measures and other equipment were seized.

The STF team also recovered one lead machine, one milling machine, one drilling machine, one grinder machine all with motors and several other instruments.

Four inter-state criminals identified as Md Azam from West Bengal, Md Abid Husain and Md Samser Allam from Bihar and Sarat Chandra Yadav from Cuttack were arrested during the raid. They will be forwarded to the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Cuttack.

There was a cowshed at the entrance of Yadav’s residence to hide the illegal gun manufacturing factory. The accused had a well-organised supply chain and sold each pistol for Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000.