Puri Police Bust Gun Smuggling Racket, Arrest Six Youths Including Notorious Criminal

Puri : In a major crackdown on illegal arms trade, the Sea-Beach police in Puri busted a gun smuggling syndicate and arrested six youths, including a notorious criminal with a long history of offenses. The operation was carried out in a deserted building near Urban Hat on Friday.

Puri Superintendent of Police Vinit Kumar informed the media that the raid was the result of months-long surveillance initiated after a noticeable spike in criminal activities in the city. Acting on intelligence, a special police team conducted the operation and seized six firearms and twenty live cartridges from the premises.

Among those arrested was the prime accused and alleged kingpin of the racket, Denga Muna alias Ramesh Parida (29), who is already implicated in at least 14 criminal cases. The SP said that Parida was a key figure in local organized crime and had been under police radar for some time.

“The bust is a major breakthrough in our efforts to curb illegal arms trade in Puri. The arrested individuals are part of an organized syndicate, and interrogation is ongoing to identify their supply chains and client networks,” said SP Kumar.

The five other arrested youths also have criminal backgrounds, police confirmed. All six have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita related to organized crime and various provisions of the Arms Act.

Police officials emphasized that further investigations are underway and more arrests may follow. Authorities are also working to determine whether the weapons were being circulated for local gang activity or larger interstate smuggling operations.

The successful operation has been widely hailed as a significant step towards restoring law and order in the temple town of Puri.