Cuttack: Two notorious criminals were injured in an encounter with police in Indranipatna area of Choudwar in Odisha’s Cuttack district late on Wednesday.
The injured have been identified as Sangram Raut of Nandankanan area and Shubhranshu Parida of 42 Mouza Cuttack. They have been SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment.
According to sources, the joint operation was carried out by Choudwar Police and the Special Squad. The accused reportedly opened fire as the officers moved in to arrest them, prompting them to retaliate. Katas and Shubhranshu sustained bullet wounds in their legs.
Firearms and live ammunition were seized from them.
“They were involved in snatching incidents under Cantonment and Choudwar police limits. The IO had received information about their presence in the area. Our team chased the duo riding a motorcycle and then took a turn towards Indranipatna on NH-5 to evade arrest. After travelling some distance, they stopped the bike and started firing on the police team, which then retaliated after given them a warning,” Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo told the media.
Two policemen also sustained minor injuries in the exchange of fire.
He further informed that Parida is allegedly involved in 49 cases, including bombing, dacoity and armed robbery and also served jail terms, while 15 criminal cases are registered against Raut. They were active in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Notably, a special drive is underway in Odisha to crack down on hardcore criminals. This is 12th such incident between February 17 to April 17.