Mohana Police in Gajapati district discovered a domestic gun factory working deep within a forest close to Galapaju hamlet on Wednesday as part of a significant crackdown on illegal arms manufacture.
According to authorities, the raid resulted in the arrest of two people suspected of being involved in the scam and the seizure of twelve firearms manufactured in the country, along with a number of tools and supplies required in the gun-making process.
The factory Tucked down in forested hills
A police crew from the Mohana police station raided a makeshift workshop on a hill close to Galapaju hamlet after receiving a tip. According to reports, the facility produced domestically produced firearms that were distributed throughout the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, and Kandhamal.
From the location, police confiscated weapons, barrels, triggers, iron pipes, welding equipment, solar lamps, and other materials used to make firearms. Each pistol was being sold for about Rs 5,000, according to the police. In southern Odisha's forested areas, the firearms were allegedly used for hunting and other illicit activities.
When the police asked him how he got the guns, the accused acknowledged erecting a workshop atop a nearby hill. Following an inspection by a group of police officers and witnesses, SP Jatindra Panda discovered that he manufactured and sold the firearms for Rs 5,000.

Key Accused Recognised and taken into custody
It is said that the primary suspect, Ghanshyam Pradhan of Galapaju village, was the mastermind of the illicit operation. Another person who allegedly bought one of the firearms, Harischandra Mallik of Chihuripadar village, was also taken into custody by the police.
According to preliminary inquiry, the two had been producing and distributing the weapons for a number of months. Locals involved in poaching and other illegal activities in isolated hilly regions were said to have a strong demand for the firearms.