In a broad daylight crime, three motorbike-borne miscreants on Saturday opened fire at supervisor Rajmohan Majumdar (19) of Kharanashi village and injured him critically, while he was overseeing spur packing for an embankment in Mahanadi river at Khurusia under Marshaghai police station limits. Soon after the firing, the miscreants fled the spot.
According to Majumdar, three motorbike borne miscreants came to the worksite where he was present and searched the contractor. later, they asked him about the whereabouts of the contractor and demanded Rs 5 lakh as extortion money.
However, on being denied, two of them nabbed him whereas another shot at him from a close range. Majumdar, while bleeding profusely, was rushed to the district headquarters hospital for treatment. later, he was shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack.
On being informed, a police team rushed to the spot and conducted an inquiry.No body was arrested so far though the police team conducted raids at several places and sealed all the entry points connected to the district after the incident.
A hunt is on to nab the miscreants, said Marshagahi police sources. Notably, the Irrigation department has engaged contractor Ratnakar Sahu to do spur packing work of Mahanadi river dyke at Khurusia. The estimated cost of the tender work is approximately Rs 33 lakh, said Rabindranath Pradhan, partner of Ratnakar Sahu.
According to reliable sources, this might be the handiwork of gang members of hardcore criminal Bibhu, who is now in jail after he was injured in a police encounter in April last.