The Commissionerate police which have launched a drive against criminals and antisocial activities in the city, nabbed two notorious criminals following an encounter in the Chilipokhari area under the Badagada police station late on Saturday night.
The arrested duo was identified as Sipun Kabi and Harekrushna Swain.
He cops also seized a mouser, a toy gun, live cartridges, three mobile phones and a motorcycle along with cash of Rs 50,000 from their possession.
Getting inputs about their movement, a police team conducted a raid at around 2.45 pm and tried to intercept them. But the duo spotting the cops sped away by a motorcycle. When the cops chased them, they opened fire at the former. In retaliation, the police fired back and both Kabi and Swain suffered bullet injuries in their legs and were apprehended.
Later, both of them were taken to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
Notably, this was the second double encounter by the Commissionerate police in 24 hours.
Two criminals Arun Mallick and Vivekananda Nayak had been arrested in the wee hours of Saturday.
Later on Saturday night, police also raided the Bapuji Heights apartment at Uttara Chhack under the Dhauli police station where Kabi and Swain were residing in apartment No. 203 and recovered a huge quantity of bottles of spurious liquor of reputed brands, ingredients like spirit used to manufacture liquor, Government tags put on liquor bottles.
Police sources said the apartment was taken on rent by one Debasish Mohapatra, but the duo used to stay there and carried out the spurious liquor trade.
DCP Anup Sahoo said the nabbed criminals are part of a large gang; and besides carrying robberies in the city and outside, they were also engaged in spurious liquor trade.
They were also involved in car showroom loots. Further investigations are on and all the details cannot be revealed at the moment.