Bhubaneswar: Curbing the trade of narcotic substances, including ganja, cybercrimes and road accidents are three major challenges before the Odisha Police, outgoing DGP Y B Khurania said Sunday.
Addressing a press conference here on his last working day, Khurania said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ announcement of Odisha as a ‘naxal-free’ state was the biggest achievement of the police during his two-year tenure.
The achievement was made possible through joint operations conducted by the Odisha Police and the Central Armed Police Forces against Maoists in various districts of the state during the last two years.
In these operations, 29 hardcore red rebels were neutralised, 83 surrendered, and 15 were arrested, he stated.
Prevention of illegal trade of narcotics has remained a major challenge before us. Cybercrime is another big challenge. There is a lot of scope to bring improvement in the road safety records. These three components have remained priority areas for Odisha Police, and action plans have been prepared to deal with the emerging situation, he said.
The police have set a target to achieve a nasha mukt Odisha (drug-free Odisha) by March 2029, and strengthened its enforcement activities against the trafficking of narcotic items, he said.
To deal with cybercrime, he said that the state government has already sanctioned 20 new cyber police stations, which started functioning from March this year.
Required manpower and infrastructure have been sanctioned, he added.
The state government has approved the creation of a separate road safety wing in the Odisha Police and sanctioned required posts, Khurania said, adding that recruitment and training will be completed in the next two to three years.
The outgoing DGP said the police have seized and destroyed drugs worth approximately Rs 4,195 crore during his two-year period.
Stating that cognizable crimes declined during his tenure, he said robbery cases declined by 30.2 per cent and rioting incidents by 25.6 per cent in 2025 as compared to 2024.
Between January and June this year, robbery cases declined by 22.8 per cent, dacoity by 14.2 per cent, theft by 8.6 per cent, rioting by 4.4 per cent, and murder by 2.9 per cent, he added.
On the other hand, the number of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act increased by 23.8 per cent as enforcement activities have been enhanced, the DGP said.
Between July 2024 and December 2025, the conviction rate under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) stood at 87.6 per cent, he said.
The state’s overall conviction rate (including cases under IPC) increased to 37.9 per cent in 2025, the highest ever record in the state, the DGP said.
This rise was possible due to better quality of investigation, wider use of scientific and forensic evidence, constant encouragement of investigating officers and closer supervision by senior officers, he added.
Between July 2024 and June 2026, trials in 1,75,329 cases were completed, with convictions secured against accused persons in 57,881 cases, the DGP said.
The Odisha Police has continued its campaign against illegal arms and illegal mining of minor minerals.
Under the Arms Act, 2,674 cases were registered, and 3,388 people were arrested, he said.
As many as 910 weapons, including AK-47s, INSAS rifles and SLRs, along with 1,435 rounds of ammunition, were seized.
Against illegal extraction of minor minerals, 7,079 cases were registered and 2,007 people arrested, the DGP said.
Protection of women and children continues to remain a top priority for the Odisha Police, he said.
Under Operation Anwesan-2, during a 10-day campaign in January this year, 5,451 missing persons were traced. These included 786 children and 4,665 women.
To improve police mobility and rapid response capabilities, police stations across the state have been provided with 649 additional vehicles, with two drivers assigned to each.
Thanking Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Khurania said the strong support and guidance of the state government, along with the provision of necessary resources, have further strengthened the efficiency, infrastructure and operational capabilities of Odisha Police.
The chief minister, in a post on X, said, His (Khurania) leadership in upholding law and order, fostering peace and harmony, and steering the Odisha police towards greater efficiency, empowerment and people-centric governance has been exemplary.
