Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown, the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police raided an illegal gun manufacturing unit near Cuttack and arrested four interstate criminals on March 13. The factory was operating from a house in Bada Dhuleswar under the Bentkar police station’s jurisdiction.

The arrested individuals have been identified as:

Mohammad Azam alias Budhu (45) from Howrah,

Mohammad Abid Hussein (49) from Munger, Bihar,

Mohammad Samser Allam alias Kallu (46) from Munger, Bihar, and

Sarat Chandra Yadav (58), the owner of the house where the illegal arms were being produced.

They were presented before the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Cuttack.

Seizure of Firearms and Equipment

During the joint raid by the STF and local police, a significant cache of firearm components and sophisticated machinery was seized. The confiscated items included:

29 semi-finished improvised pistols

80 pistol bodies

14 sliders

36 grips

14 iron bars

15 barrels

Additionally, advanced manufacturing equipment such as lathe, milling, drilling, and grinding machines, along with numerous hand tools and raw materials, were recovered from the site.

Concealed Operations and Supply Chain

According to police sources, the illegal factory had been operational for over one and a half years, hidden behind an artificial cowshed at the entrance of Yadav’s residence. The accused had established a well-organized supply chain, selling each pistol for ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 across multiple states.

The raid was conducted based on intelligence inputs about the illegal manufacturing and distribution of firearms. The STF has registered a case under Sections 111(2)(b) & 111(3)/61(2) of BNS-2023, along with Section 25(1-AA)/27 of the Arms Act, 1959. Further investigations are ongoing.