NUAPADA: In a bizarre incident, a man allegedly opened fire at two persons in broad daylight under Sinapali police limits in the district on Saturday. The accused Raja Panigrahi, a construction contractor of Bramhanpada, was later nabbed by police from Chhattisgarh. The injured have been identified as Saroj Meher (50) and his son Nabaranjan Meher (30) of Sinapali.
According to sources, on Saturday morning, the father-son duo was on their way on a motorcycle when the accused came from the opposite direction in his car and they narrowly escaped a collision. Subsequently, a verbal duel ensued between the two parties with the father-son charging Panigrahi of rash driving. As their argument intensified, Panigrahi took out a gun and allegedly fired two shots at both. While Saroj and his son sustained severe injuries on their thighs, the accused fled the spot. On getting information, police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to Sinapali CHC. They were later shifted to Khairar Mission Hospital and are stated to be stable.
However, the police traced the accused and nabbed him in Chhattisgarh. Khariar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Santak Jena said, “The accused had fled to Deobhog in Chhattisgarh soon after the incident. However, our team traced him out and has already taken him into remand. We have also seized the gun besides two magazines and four live bullets from the possession of the accused. The gun is licensed in the name of the accused. Further investigation into the matter is underway.”