Bhubaneswar police have widened their investigation into illegal arms smuggling after intelligence inputs suggested that organised networks may be using vulnerable people from outside Odisha to transport or store firearms. The inquiry follows a video showing a woman allegedly carrying weapons, though police said they are still verifying the video’s authenticity and attempting to locate her.
The investigation comes amid a series of firing incidents reported in the city in recent months. A senior police officer told The Times of India that such inputs could not be ignored because organised criminal networks may use unsuspecting or vulnerable individuals to evade surveillance. The officer did not confirm that the woman in the video was involved in arms trafficking.
Police have formed a dedicated team to examine the supply chains, trafficking routes and source networks connected to illegal firearms seized in Bhubaneswar. Official data cited in the report show that at least 48 illegal firearms were seized and 62 people arrested in the city during the past year.
Most of the recovered weapons were countrymade pistols. Police said these firearms are commonly associated with robberies, extortion attempts and gang rivalries. The weapons were largely manufactured locally and brought into Odisha through interstate networks, with Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh identified as important source states by investigators.
The inquiry is also extending beyond Bhubaneswar. Police have identified several locations where weapons are believed to change hands, while Khurda, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Ganjam districts have reported multiple firearm-seizure cases. The geographic spread indicates that investigators are examining the movement of weapons across the wider urban and regional corridor rather than treating each seizure as an isolated case.
“Our focus is not only on those found in possession of weapons but also on dismantling the entire supply chain, right from manufacturers and transporters to local facilitators and receivers,” the senior officer said. The investigation is therefore focused on identifying the networks that manufacture, move and distribute firearms, as well as people who may assist them locally.
Police said sustained action against illegal arms networks had helped avert several potential crimes. They are monitoring interstate trafficking routes and strengthening intelligence gathering at the ground level, according to the officer. Police also urged residents to promptly share information about suspicious activity or illegal weapons.
The video allegation remains unconfirmed, and the police investigation is continuing. Its next steps include establishing the authenticity and source of the footage, locating the woman shown in it and tracing the wider supply chain connected to firearms seized in Bhubaneswar and other districts.
