Brahmapur: A wanted history-sheeter was injured in a police encounter in Odisha’s Ganjam district after he allegedly hurled a bomb and opened fire at a police team while attempting to evade arrest.
The accused has been identified as Ghanashyam Behera alias Kalia, a resident of Naitada Sahi under Purushottampur police limits, who was wanted in connection with multiple high-profile cases of robbery and dacoity across the region.
Acting on reliable intelligence regarding Behera’s whereabouts, Purushottampur police station IIC Kulamani Sethi, led a team to track down and apprehend the suspect. Behera was intercepted while he was riding a motorcycle along with an associate on a remote jungle road stretching between Kinari and Chunchipada under Kodala police limits.
As the police team closed in, Behera attempted a desperate escape by throwing a crude bomb at the pursuing officers and opening fire. Inspector Sethi retaliated in self defence and shot Behera in his right leg. The injured suspect was rushed to the Kodala Community Health Centre (CHC) for initial emergency treatment before being referred to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Brahmapur.
Police said that the operation was part of intensified law enforcement drives across Ganjam aimed at curbing armed robbery gangs and repeat offender networks. A search for his fleeing associate is underway.
