Post News Network
Khallikote, April 9: Akhaya Nayak alias Panda, a notorious criminal of Athagarh Patna village under Kabisuryanagar police limits in Ganjam district was critically hurt during an encounter by local police in the wee hours of Thursday.
He was admitted to a nearby hospital and two bullets were removed from his body, police said.
The police seized a pistol, two live bullets and a bike from the encounter spot, superintendent of police Narasingh Bhol said in a press meet that held on the premises of Khallikote police station.
According to police, bike-borne Panda along with his close aide Lipu Nayak was on his way to Khallikote to carry out a major robbery. Acting on a tip-off, the local IIC with other police personnel tried to stop them near Nirmaljhar Chhak. However, the duo opened fired on the police team. Two of their bullets pierced the door of the police vehicle and the IIC had a narrow escape in the attack.
Following this, police retaliated and two of their bullets hit the knee of Panda. He was arrested after falling down on the road while Lipu managed to flee.
Panda, Lipu and few others formed a gang under the leadership of Rabi Das of Haripur to lift SUVs and commit other crimes like extortion and snatching, police said, adding, the facts were revealed after the busting of a SUV-lifting racket.
Panda along with Lipu and Rabi was involved in several criminal cases including a murder bid on Asit Nayak of Kabisuryanagar, a co-member of the gang, regarding a dispute over distribution of extorted money. They are also involved in several cases involving lifting of four wheelers and bikes from Ganjam, Balugaon, Bhubaneswar, Banpur, Athagarh and Bhadrak, the police said.
Sources said, all the police stations in the district were alerted about the modus operandi of the three after Bideshi Nayak, another member of the gang who was arrested by police earlier, disclosed the details during an interrogation.