Bhubaneswar, 16 January (H.S.):The Special Crime Unit of the Commissionerate Police on Friday seized six semi-automatic pistols and a quantity of ammunition in Bhubaneswar, foiling an alleged attempt to sell illegal firearms reportedly sourced from Bihar.

One arms dealer has been arrested in connection with the case. The operation was conducted while a weapons deal was allegedly underway in the city, police said.

The arrested accused has been identified as Manoj Kumar Mallick alias Pappu, a resident of Jajpur district. According to police sources, Mallick had earlier been arrested in a similar case and was later released. Despite this, he allegedly resumed his illegal activities and was operating from the Chandaka area of Bhubaneswar.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Special Crime Unit placed the suspect under surveillance before carrying out the seizure.

Confirming the development, Police Commissioner S. Devdutta Singh said, “Manoj Kumar Mallick from Jajpur district has been arrested, and six semi-automatic pistols, 10 rounds of ammunition and mobile phones have been recovered.”

The Police Commissioner added that further interrogation and investigation are underway to ascertain the source of the firearms and identify the intended recipients of the weapons.

Police said more arrests are likely as the probe progresses.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda