Five held with illegal arms

Brajrajnagar: In a major crackdown under ‘Operation Netra,’ the Brajrajnagar police arrested five persons and seized five country-made pistols, four live rounds of ammunition, and a motorcycle. Acting on credible intelligence, police initially apprehended two suspects near Biju Patnaik Square and recovered two pistols. During questioning, the duo revealed that three associates were waiting at Rampur football field, where a subsequent raid led to the remaining three arrests and the seizure of three more weapons. Preliminary investigations suggest the firearms were brought from Muzaffarpur in Bihar for extortion and criminal activities in mining-rich Brajrajnagar area.

The five accused, all residents of Jharsuguda district, have multiple criminal cases pending against them. They have been identified as Santosh Biswal, Sandeep Das, Kanhaiya Sahis, Devendrapal Singh and Md Munna.

The operation was led by IIC Dhableswar Sahu under the direction of Jharsuguda SP G Raghavendra Reddy, who confirmed that the arrests prevented a potential gang-related incident in the region. Further investigations are ongoing to trace the broader supply network. ‘Operation Netra’ is an initiative launched by Jharsuguda police to combat crime, specifically targeting drug trafficking, illegal firearms and burglary. The operation heavily utilises technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and intelligence-led policing to achieve swift results.