Puri: In a significant breakthrough, Commissionerate Police claimed to have busted an illegal firearm trafficking racket and arrested a wanted criminal from Jharkhand in this connection.

The accused Mahesh Pujari, a kingpin of gun trade, had been on police radar for a while. Two other persons have been arrested along with Pujari. their identities are yet to be disclosed. 

Police informed that eight pistols and three live bullets have been seized from their possession. The gang had been involved in smuggling guns for last 13 years. The firearms were being supplied from outside in the Puja Bazaar for extortion, official sources informed. "We are probing the extent of the network and scale of the gang's operation," they informed.

The arrests and firearm seizure come as a part of co-ordinated efforts to improve regional security. 

Further details are awaited.