The seized arms and ammunition at Talcher. Telegraph picture

Angul, Aug. 11: Police have unearthed a gun-manufacturing unit in Talcher town, an example of criminals being fed by local factories in the state apart from gunrunners from Jharkhand and Bihar.

Last night, following a raid on the illegal unit located at Champapasi in the town, the police arrested five persons, all hailing from outside Odisha. But, racket kingpin Tikan Swain, 36, absconded.

The police seized 31 pistols, 500 live cartridges, gunpowder, gelatin and other gun-manufacturing equipment.

Led by sub-divisional police officer Kailash Parida and inspector in charge of Talcher police station Kailash Acharya, the team conducted the first raid around 12.30am at Champapasi. Then they swooped on the house of the main accused Tikan alias Bhujali Singh at Paika Sahi, 2km from the town.

Police sources said they seized the pistols and bullets form Swain’s house, while the remaining items were found from the rented house at Champapasi.

The police said the gun factory was being run in the rented house. Tikan is a history-sheeter with many cases to his name at various police stations of the state.

The unit had been operating for the past four months on the ground floor of the isolated two-storey house. The neighbours, however, had no inklings about it. Tikan had approached the house owner on the pretext that some men engaged in coal business would stay there.

A police officer said arms from the factory were being sent to many parts of state and outside.

Angul superintendent of police Narasigh Bhol said the main accused had a criminal background and was earlier arrested by Jagatsinghpur police for possessing illegal arms. He said he was also chargesheeted in some criminal cases in Cuttack.

“We have detained five persons and seized many papers and documents, which are being examined. There are many people directly or indirectly involved in the crime,” he said. Bhol said the police had also laid its hands on some bank account numbers, which could provide clues.

“There were some shooting cases in Talcher industrial belt. We are also trying to find out if they are linked to this,” he said.

In the past three years, there has been a spate of shooting cases in the Talcher-Angul industrial belt.