ROURKELA: Amid recent spurt in shooting incidents across Sundargarh, two youths of Chhattisgarh were injured under controversial circumstances. The mishap took place after unidentified miscreants reportedly opened fire on a four-wheeler on State Highway 10 in Sundargarh district in the wee hours of Friday.
The injured youths - Bikram Tandon (28) and Sunil Ratnakar (32) from Sakti and Raigarh districts in Chhattisgarh have been admitted to the Sundargarh District Headquarter Hospital (DHH). Police investigation is underway.
Police said one youth received bullet injuries on his left arm and another was injured after a bullet pierced through his neck without affecting the wind or food pipes. He also received cut injuries from broken glass pieces of the windshield.
Sundargarh SDPO Himanshu Behera said doctors at the DHH informed police about the arrival of two persons with injuries. Preliminary investigation revealed that the youths were on their way to Rourkela when the firing took place near Gangajal under Kutra police limits.
"The injured persons told police that their vehicle was overtaken by about five miscreants in two motor-bikes and they opened at least two rounds of fire on the moving vehicle and escaped. Initially they thought stones were hurled at the vehicle, but from bleeding they soon realized about the firing," he said.
According to police, the injured duo claimed they informed their acquaintances back in Chhattisgarh who rushed them to the DHH and left with the vehicle. The SDPO said there appeared to be anomalies about the circumstances of the crime and what was told to police. He added that those who took them to the hospital were asked to return with the vehicle to assist in the investigation.
Incidentally, one person was killed on January 1, 2024, in Bisra police limits and another was shot at in Brahmani Tarang (BT) police limits of Rourkela Police District (RPD) on March 9.
Between February and October in 2023, at least two persons were shot dead and five received gunshot injuries in Bisra, Koida, Kinjirkela, Bargaon, Kutra and Lefripada police limits of Rourkela as well as Sundargarh police districts.