Vijayawada: In a significant crackdown on illegal cockfighting activities, police seized 400 cockfighting knives and a knife manufacturing machine in Vissannapet village of NTR district, and arrested three individuals involved in the operation.

The operation was led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Y Prasada Rao, along with Thiruvuru Circle Inspector K Giribabu, Vissannapet Sub-Inspector G Ramakrishna, and PSI K Umamaheswar Reddy. Acting on the instructions of NTR District Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhar Babu and Deputy Commissioner of Police B Lakshmi Narayana, the special team carried out the raid on Thursday.

During the operation, police raided a manufacturing unit run by Sarveshwara Rao, Jawvaji Surendra, and Chandrasekhar, where the suspects were allegedly producing knives specifically designed for cockfights. Authorities confiscated the knives along with the motorised machine used for their production. The accused were preparing these cockfighting knives for the upcoming Sankranti festival.

A case has been registered under the relevant legal provisions. Police officials warned that manufacturing, selling, or using cockfighting knives is illegal, and strict action will be taken against anyone engaged in such activities. They urged the public to cooperate with law enforcement and report any instances of illegal cockfighting or weapon manufacturing to help curb the practice.