Cuttack: Intensifying crackdown against anti-socials across the State, Odisha police has arrested 112 criminals out of a total of 1,068 identified habitual offenders under Section 110 of CrPC to ensure peaceful Dussehra and immersion.
Speaking at a press meet, DGP RP Sharma said as many as 21 persons have been arrested so far for forcefully collecting donations while 22 cases have been registered at different police stations of the State in this connection.
Similarly, 20 illegal arms, 683 live ammunitions, 11 live bombs and 1,000 detonators have been seized.
Crackdown against habitual offenders, who create nuisance during the festival, is still on, he added.
Sharma informed that Ganjam Police has performed well in the special drive against anti-socials followed by Sambalpur, Bolangir, and Angul districts.
Commenting on the police arrangements made for Puja, Sharma said, as many as 244 platoons of police have been pressed into service to ensure security across Odisha during the Puja. The forces include 140 platoons of OSAP, 81 platoons of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), 23 platoons OISF, and three platoons of the Odisha Swift Action Force.
98 platoons of force have been deployed in the twin cities of Cuttack & Bhubaneswar alone, he pointed out.
Additional 90 Static Sets and 140 Manpack Sets with two inspectors and 53 SIs/ASIs have been provided in the twin cities along with 55 Manpack Sets for sensitive districts, the DGP said.
As the immersion festival of Goddess Durga falls on the day of Muharram, SPs of respective districts and DCPs have been asked to fix different schedules for both festivals.