Odisha STF Busts Illegal Gun Factory, Arrests Four Interstate Criminals

Bhubaneswar, March 14 : The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police has seized an illegal gun factory and arrested four interstate criminals involved in manufacturing and possessing illegal firearms in Cuttack district.

According to STF sources, the operation was carried out based on intelligence inputs regarding the illicit production and possession of firearms by criminals in Bada Dhuleshwar under the Baialisi Mouza Police Station limits. Acting on this information, a team of STF officers, with support from Cuttack UPD Police, raided the site in the early hours of March 13.

During the raid, the STF team uncovered a clandestine arms manufacturing unit operating inside the house of Sarat Chandra Yadav in Bada Dhuleshwar village. A substantial quantity of firearm components and tools used for production was seized, including:

• 29 body parts of 7mm pistols with barrels
• 80 additional body parts of 7mm pistols
• 14 slides of 7mm pistols
• 36 grips of 7mm pistols
• 15 barrels of 7mm pistols
• 14 iron bars

Additionally, a toolbox containing various tools such as iron files, hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, drills, and measuring tapes was seized. Major machinery found at the site included a lead machine with a motor (6 feet long), a milling machine (5 feet 11 inches tall), a drilling machine (4 feet 4 inches tall), and a grinder machine.

The STF arrested four interstate criminals from the location:

• Md Azam from Howrah, West Bengal
• Md Abid Husain from Bihar
• Md Samser Allam from Bihar
• Sarat Chandra Yadav from Cuttack, Odisha

The arrested individuals have been forwarded to the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Cuttack. A case has been registered under Sections 111(2)(b) & 111(3)/61(2) of BNS-2023, along with Sections 25(1-AA)/27 of the Arms Act, 1959. Further investigation is underway.

Authorities revealed that accused Md Samser Allam was previously involved in a case under multiple sections of the Arms Act in Munger district, Bihar. Similarly, Md Azam from Howrah, West Bengal, had a prior involvement in a murder case.

The STF continues to investigate the extent of this illegal arms network and its potential links to criminal activities across multiple states.