Bhubaneswar: A 54-year-old man was arrested on charges of gunrunning after a special squad, along with Laxmisagar police, seized arms and ammunition from him near Station Bazaar area here Wednesday.
Sangram Natha alias Badal, a resident of Bhimatangi Housing Board Colony under Airfield police limits here, has been taken into custody after two .765mm magazine loaded pistols, one 9mm pistol, four rounds of live ammunition of .765 calibre, two empty magazines and one round each of 9mm and .32 calibre fired ammunition were seized from him. A case (104/19) has been registered under Sections 25(1B) and 27 of the Arms Act, a Laxmisagar police official said.
About the crackdown, an official said they were tipped off about the habitual arms dealer arriving at the railway station here through Howrah-Chennai Express. “Accordingly, a trap was laid and Sangram was arrested with the arms and ammunition,” the official said, adding that the accused has several cases registered against him under various police stations here.
The accused used to procure illegal firearms from Karwa Maidan in Bihar’s Munger district for Rs 14,000 or so and sell those for Rs 30,000 after finding some prospective buyers in the state Capital, Puri and Khurda, a senior official of the special squad said.
