Balasore police bust illegal firearms syndicate; weapons, ammo recovered

In a major breakthrough, the Remuna police in Odisha’s Balasore district on Wednesday busted an illegal arms trading racket and arrested three individuals involved in the operation. The arrested accused have been identified as Shantanu Das alias Munna, Amitabh Dwivedi, and Monaj Kumar Bhuiyan.

During the operation, police seized four guns, one magazine, and two live bullets from their possession. According to preliminary investigation, Munna, a resident of Niabag Mandarpur, had been actively engaged in illegal arms dealing for some time. He reportedly procured firearms from outside the state and sold them to local buyers within Odisha.

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Balasore Additional SP Devjyoti Das said, “Shantanu Kumar Dash alias Munna, who hails from Niabag Mandarpur, was involved in illegal arms deals. We had credible information about his illegal activities. Based on reliable inputs, our team conducted a surprise raid at his house. Later, we came to know that he had supplied arms to two other persons. We also conducted raids at their places and seized an air pistol, firearms, a Mauser, and two live ammunition.”

The police have initiated a detailed investigation to trace the network of suppliers and customers linked to the racket. Authorities suspect that more individuals may be involved in the illegal trade, and further arrests are likely in the coming days.

The case has raised serious concerns about the presence of an arms smuggling network in the Balasore region.