2 gun-runners nabbed

CUTTACK: In a major breakthrough, Commissionerate Police on Monday busted an inter-state gun-running racket and nabbed two peddlers from the College Square area under Malgodown police limits. Four automatic Mausers, two country-made single shot pistols and a whopping 101 rounds of live cartridges and bullets have been seized from their possession.Acting on a tip-off, Malgodown police swooped on one Babu Bhuyan of Jobra Mallasahi while he was moving suspiciously at College Square early in the morning. He was carrying a bag with him. Search of the bag yielded two Mausers and two single shot pistols along with the bullets. He was immediately taken into custody. His interrogation led the police to one Rabi Sahoo of Yunuspatna. The police raided Sahoo’s house and recovered two Mausers from him.According to police, Bhuyan had carried the arms and ammunition in a bag to supply it to a prospective customer. He was reportedly waiting for the customer at a pre-designated place at College Square, when he was nabbed by the police.Following preliminary investigation, police said that there was a clear indication of an inter-state gun-running racket operating here. The Mausers were  procured from outside the State and were meant to be supplied to the buyers in and around the city.Both Bhuyan and Sahoo were recent entrants into the illicit trade with no prior criminal records. Bhuyan had a servicing outlet at Jobra while Sahoo had a juice shop at College Square. Both had apparently turned to the trade for quick bucks, the police said. The duo have been arrested under the Arms act and sent to jail.