Berhampur: The prime accused in the brutal public assault on a young couple in Berhampur’s Giri Road area, Mufates Sahu alias Mukesh, was seriously injured following a fierce exchange of fire with the police near Tamana Ghat in Odisha’s Berhampur late last night.
The incident occurred as a special police team, acting on a specific tip-off about his hideout, cordoned off the area. Sahu, a history-sheeter with multiple criminal cases against him, allegedly opened fire on the officers in a bid to escape. Police retaliated in self-defence, injuring the accused. He has been shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Muskesh had been evading arrest since the night of May 18, after he and his associates, including his brother Ashis Kumar Sahu from the Hilpatna area, publicly thrashed Umesh Rath (23) of Gosaninuagaon, when he along with his female companion was at a roadside food stall near Giri Road Chhaka under Baidyanathpur police station limits.
Armed with sticks and batons, the attackers dragged Umesh onto the road and mercilessly beat him in full public view. His female companion was also injured while trying to shield him from the assailants. Both victims were rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. They sustained serious injuries, including fractures to Umesh’s legs, but their condition has since been reported as stable.
The assault, which was caught on camera and widely shared on social media, had sparked massive public outrage, putting intense pressure on the police to nab the culprits.
Hours before the encounter, Town police arrested two of his associates – Raj Malhotra (21) of Gajapati Nagar and Lingaraj Samal (24) of Sriram Nagar – for their alleged involvement in the crime. While Raj assisted Mukesh and his brother Asish during the assault, Lingaraj reportedly helped plot the crime and later sheltered the accused persons, according to Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.
The arrests were made on the basis of the complaint filed by Umesh’s mother Amulya Kumari Rath (47), alleging that her son and would-be daughter-in-law were attacked by five persons near Giri Road at around 8.30 pm on May 18 over previous enmity.
