A close associate of gangster Tito, Bhabani Shankar Sahoo alias Babu Sahoo, was nabbed after an encounter with the police near the Ichhapur-Chhagaria Road here in the wee hours of Monday.
On a tipoff, a joint team of the special squad and personnel of the Town police station intercepted Babu at around 3.45 am while he was returning from Kendrapada bazaar to his house at Madhial.
In an effort to escape from the spot, Babu first opened fire at the police. In retaliation, the police fired a few rounds, injuring him on his right leg. He was initially rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) and later shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
After apprehending him, the police also seized a gun and a motorbike from his possession. Meanwhile, a scientific team has rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation, sources said
“We had been on the lookout for Babu Sahoo for a while and were finally able to nab him. Over 50 cases are pending against him at different police stations in Cuttack, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur district. He is also an accused in the case of murder of a contractor, Bibash Mohanty. He is involved in many other cases including extortion and tender-fixing,” said a police official.