Police unearth arms racket; seize weapons

Bhubaneswar, Jun 16 (UNI) In a major breakthrough, the Khurda Police have unearthed a big arms racket in Orissa with the seizure of arms and ammunition from one Mahesh Behari, a resident of Lohardagga district in Jharkhand.

Mahesh Behari, who studied in Orissa and married the daughter of a former Sarpanch in Keonjhar district, was arrested by the police team led by Khurda Superintendent of Police Amitav Thakur from the station square here last night.

He was produced before the media persons here today along with the seized weapons which included four sophisticated pistols, two single short and eight magazines.

Mr Thakur said Behari had as many as six criminal cases against him, including three cases under the Arms Act in three police stations of the Capital City.

He said after keeping a close track on his movement during the last four months, Mahesh was nabbed by the police on his arrival here by a train to deliver the arms to some people in the city.

The SP said during interrogation Mahesh had revealed some nick names but refused to divulge the names before the press stating that this would hamper further investigation into the well organised arms racket in the state.

Mahesh, he said, was procuring the guns from Munger in Bihar and supplying them to various people here.The police have also seized his mobile and was hopeful that once the calls in the mobile were tracked, many things would come to limelight on his area of operation and other persons involved in the racket.

UNI