Sambalpur/Berhampur: Police have arrested an alleged arms smuggler, Md Zahin Khan alias Tiku, 29, of Dalaipada in Sambalpur and seized several arms and ammunition from his possession.

Director-general of police, northern range, Satyabratta Bhoi said that acting on a tip-off, a team headed by inspector Lokeshwar Sahu and sub-inspector S. Sahu detained Tiku at the Sindurpank forest gate on Sunday. During search, a hand bag containing firearms and ammunition was recovered from the dickey of his two-wheeler.

Bhoi said Tiku was smuggling arms and supplying them to criminals. The police also suspect involvement of others in the racket.

In a similar development, Khallikote police have arrested five members of an inter-state dacoit gang near Bada Ghati in Berhampur.

"We spotted a car at the forest gate near Bada Ghati in which the dacoits were travelling," said Bibekananda Swain, the inspector in charge of Khallikote police station, said.

"We took all of them to the police station. During interrogation, they revealed that they were conspiring to commit crime on the NH," he said.

The arrested include Rajib Saha, 30, and Fazal Seikh (both from Murshidabad in Bengal), Ahmed Ali, 22, and Ladu Kumar, 24, (both from Baishali in Bihar) and one Mithun Behera from Kespur.

The police have seized one car, one sword, one bhujali, five mobile phones, Rs 10,000 in cash and two live bombs from the gang.