Illegal liquor and gambling crackdown in Odisha, 34 arrested

In a major crackdown on illegal activities, the Asika Police in Ganjam district carried out a special operation across multiple locations and arrested 34 persons on Thursday.

During the operation, police conducted raids on illegal liquor manufacturing units and gambling dens. As part of heightened security measures, strict checking was carried out on the Rushikulya river bridge near Kalasandhapur. During the check, police seized seven mausers and three live bullets, and arrested two persons in connection with the recovery.

In another operation, police raided Balisira and Rugumu village. During the raid, around 3,000 litres of illicit country liquor was destroyed. Police also seized 150 litres of liquor along with jaggery and urea used in the brewing process. Five persons were arrested in this connection.

Similarly, raids were conducted on gambling dens operating under Dharakote, Patapur, Hinjili, Badagada and Sheragada police stations. In these operations, 27 gamblers were arrested, and cash amounting to Rs 80,000 was seized from their possession.

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Providing details of the special drive, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Santosh Kumar Jena said that several of the arrested accused have multiple cases registered against them at different police stations. He added that police are investigating the source of the seized mausers and bullets, and are trying to ascertain who was being targeted and for what purpose.

Further investigation into all the cases is currently underway.