By SANTOSH MOHANTY
Angul police have successfully busted a gunrunning racket in Khamar, Pallahara, Athamallik, Tacher and Kaniha regions with the arrest of four persons. The district police formed a special team to locate and nab the culprits involved in gunrunning racket after a number of shooting incidents in Kishorenagar and Chhendipada in the recent past for settling scores and poaching of wildlife species in Angul forest locations and facilitating ganja trade Chendipada region in which country made guns were used.
Police sources said the special team, after getting feedback from reliable sources that country rifles were freely available in some parts of the district at a throwaway price, raided Beherabhuin, Kashinathpur, Sunakhani and other villages in Kaniha, Athamallik and Talcher areas and seized barrels, rods, strikers and other parts required for manufacturing guns.
During the operation the police have also gathered that country made guns and pistols were clandestinely manufactured in Pallahara areas and sold at a price as low as Rs 5000 per piece to buyers who are into poaching and other illegal activities. Local media reports said that although the district police claimed to have successfully busted the gunrunning racket in Angul district, this is only a tip of the iceberg. The police need to go deep into such a crime and bring to book their kingpins who are believed to be operating from different states like Bihar and West Bengal and their connections goes beyond Indian borders, the media reports said.
Police sources said a special drive is underway by the district police under the direct supervision of Superintendent of Police Rahul Jain following a number of reports of shooting incidents in Kishorenagar and Chhendipada regions in the recent past and poaching of elephants and other wildlife species in Angul and other forest ranges in Angul district. The sources further said the special team of the district police is working in cohesion with the local forest wing to put up a joint front to tackle poaching menace in different forest ranges where poachers have oflate become active to kill elephants, wildboars, antelopes and other endangered species in reserved forest and Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary.
The wildlife sanctuary is a home to a large number of elephants and other endangered species like bison and antelopes. Odisha forest,environment and climate change department is actively working on the details of converting the wildlife sanctuary to a Tiger habitat. As part of the measure, a number of villages like Raiguda, Chhotkei, Tulka and other villages located in the core areas of Satkosia, are either being shifted or relocated elsewhere for such purpose.
The recent heinous incident involving the killing of a Forester in Hindol in the adjoining Dhenkanal district has established the fact that poachers are on a rampage and they can go to any extent and would not mind eliminating patrolling forest staff if given resistance. The poachers fired upon Forester Prahallad Pradhan and killed him on the spot who along with his staff was on patrol duty to nab the culprits after getting reports that a gang of four poachers were sharing the booty (the meat) after killing a wildlife species. Pradhan was heading a 13-member patrol party in that fateful night of May 23 in Sarasinga village at Tantichira jungle in Hindol range. The poachers after seeing the forest patrol party approaching them immediately opened shots hitting the Forester in the abodomen injuring him severely. Pradhan was immediately shifted to the district headquarters hospital at Angul but doctors declared him dead. The patrol staff nabbed three of the four poachers.
Pradhan, who served the forest department for 16 years with an excellent track record, was honoured as the best Forester in 2025 at a state level function in Bhubaneswar recently.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his deep condolences to the bereaved family and vowed to come down heavily on the poachers. He said the perpetrators will not be allowed to move freely and go unpunished. Majhi announced Rs 30 lakh as compensation to the family. Odisha forest,environment and climate change minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia who rushed to Kamakhyanagar to express his condolences to the bereaved family members of the deceased Forester at his house, said the government has taken a serious note of such heinous incident and added that a proposal to provide arms to the patrolling forest staff is under active consideration of the government.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) Sanjay Kumar Swain said the forest official will not be cowed down by the threat of poachers and timber mafia and added that every possible measures will be taken to protect the patrolling staff. Swain said protecting forest and its species are the prime responsibilities of the forest staff and gun-totting mafias will be taught a lesson at the earliest.
Reports said Chhendipada region has become a safe haven for ganja traders who are armed with country made rifles and lethal weapons to react immediately in the event of being nabbed by the police or excise officials. Vast tracts of forest region in Chhendipada block in Angul district have been forcibly acquired by the mafia who are linked to syndicates in other states and possibly neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal as sneaking into their territories are relatively easier, sources who did not want to be named said. Excise officials in Angul said tones of ganja plants were set afire after seizure to discourage trading of the contraband.
