Gajapati: Suspicion over practicing black magic triggered a firing in Jadingi village under Adaba police limits in Gajapati district on Monday morning.
Though the victim, identified as Damburudhara Majhi, had a narrow escape as the bullets fired at him missed target, he suffered multiple injuries after the assailants attacked him with stones and sticks.
According to reports, Damburudhara, a resident of Jadingi village was on his way to his friend’s house at Karadabada on a motorcycle last morning, when three persons appeared from nowhere and opened fire at him. The assailants fired two rounds from a foreign made pistol. However, the bullets missed him and hit the motorcycle instead.
After coming under sudden attack, Damburudhara lost control over the vehicle and fell down. However, the attackers refused to budge. Even as he lay on the ground crying for help, they started hitting him with sticks and rocks before making good their escape.
Damburudhara, who suffered serious injuries to his head and ankle, lay unconscious at the desolate spot in a pool of blood.
Later, some commuters and passersby spotted him and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he is stated to be in serious condition.
Meanwhile, Majhi’s family lodged a complaint with the Adaba police station.
During preliminary investigation, the police have learnt that Damburudhara had previous enmity with one Pramod Majhi, a resident of the same village.
Adaba SDPO Dilip Nayak said, “Sometime back, Pramod Majhi had implicated Damburudhara and his father over suspicion of practising black magic. During a village meeting recently he had threatened the duo with life,” Nayak said, adding, “On Monday morning Pramod ganged up with two others to attack Majhi with firearms with an intention to kill the latter.”
However, the police are yet to make any arrest in the case.