Jharsuguda: A notorious criminal, Ankit Ghosh, sustained a bullet injury to his leg in a police encounter near OPM Ghat along the Ib River in Brajrajnagar area of Odisha’s Jharsuguda district early Monday.
Acting on specific intelligence that Ghosh and his associates had gathered at the spot around 2 am to plan a criminal activity, a team from Brajrajnagar police rushed to the location. Upon spotting the approaching officers, Ghosh allegedly fired five rounds in an attempt to escape. The police team retaliated in self-defence, hitting Ghosh in the leg. He was immediately apprehended and rushed to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) for treatment.
His associates, however, managed to flee the scene. A firearm and live cartridges were recovered from the spot.
Police sources described Ghosh as a wanted criminal with around seven cases registered across multiple districts, including Brajrajnagar, Orient, Lakhanpur, and Banharpali. The charges against him include attempted murder, dacoity, extortion, robbery, and criminal intimidation. He is reportedly linked to local coal mafia groups and gang rivalries operating in the Brajrajnagar coal belt. Ghosh is the son of Soni Ghosh, who was previously booked under the National Security Act (NSA).
Meanwhile, police have launched a search operation across the region to trace and arrest the absconding gang members.