ROURKELA: Proprietor of Bharat LPG agency Arun Naik (60) was critically injured after two unidentified miscreants attacked him with a stone and then fired a bullet at him in Karamdihi under Sadar police limits in Sundargarh district on Saturday night.
Sources said Naik is the brother-in-law of veteran Congress leader and former Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Kishore Chandra Patel. He sustained a gunshot injury to the stomach and is currently undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in Rourkela.
According to sources, Naik was unlocking his LPG storeroom for some work when the miscreants suddenly attacked him, hitting him on the head with a stone before firing at him. Hearing his screams, local residents rushed to the spot, prompting the attackers to flee.
Sundargarh SDPO Nirmal Mohapatra said the incident occurred around 8 pm on Saturday and confirmed that Naik was hit by one bullet in the stomach. He was initially taken to the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital and later shifted to Apollo Hospital.
“The motive behind the attack is not immediately clear. We are investigating from all angles, including the possibility of a loot attempt and previous enmity,” Mohapatra said.
A dog squad and a scientific team visited the crime scene to collect clues, and a case has been registered at the Sadar police station. The SDPO expressed confidence that the culprits would be identified and arrested soon.
Mohapatra added that Naik is in a stable condition. Sources close to Patel said Naik has been running the LPG agency at Karamdihi after retiring from service in the BSF and has been residing in the area since then.