The Gajapati police engaged in the ‘Operation Sabyasachi’ in the deep jungles bordering Gajapati, Ganjam and Kandhamal districts on Sunday expressed strong hopes that they would nab Odisha Maobadi Party (OMP) leader Sabyasachi Panda soon.
“During the operation in the Sorada Jungle on Gajapati-Ganjam border in the midnight of February 27 and 28, Panda was grievously injured receiving a fired-bullet in his right thigh. Panda cannot move beyond eight to 10 kilometres from the spot with the injuries. He might be hiding in somebody’s house between Salimgachha and Merikota and have sough help of a doctor a quack for treatment,” said some police officials.
Informing that the security personnel are guarding the whole jungle from the four sides for 24 hours, the officials further said, “Sabyasachi was earlier injured in an encounter in Ganjam border area on February 15. While he got injured for the second time in Sorada, a lot of arms and ammunitions, food materials and medicines and prompt cash were seized too. While Panda’s team has become weak with such repeated seizures, he has not a mobile phone now to contact his associates. “Hence, we are much confident this time that we will catch him within a very short period,” said the officials.