Jharsuguda, March 10: In a major crackdown on illegal arms, police in Brajarajnagar of Jharsuguda district have arrested five members of a criminal gang and seized five illegal firearms from their possession, officials said on Tuesday.

The arrested persons have been identified as Santosh Biswal, Devendra Pal Singh, Sandeep Das, Kahneya Sahis and MD Munna. During the operation, police also recovered five pistols, four live bullets and a motorcycle from their possession.

According to police sources, they received information late Monday night that two suspects, Jitu and Sandeep Das, were moving around Biju Pattnaik Square with firearms. Acting on the tip-off, a police team rushed to the spot and detained the duo, recovering two pistols from them.

During interrogation, the suspects disclosed that three of their associates were waiting at the Rampur football field. Police then conducted another raid at the location, where they arrested the remaining three accused and seized three more pistols.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the firearms were brought from Muzaffarpur in Bihar. Police suspect the group was planning to use the weapons for extortion and other criminal activities in the area.

Police added that further investigation is underway to determine whether the gang is linked to other criminal cases and to identify others involved in the illegal arms supply network.