Notorious criminal injured in police encounter in Odisha's Bhadrak, admitted to hospital

An encounter took place in Bhadrak on Tuesday in which notorious criminal Kamalakant Das, also known as Budhia, was shot by police. The incident occurred near the Charampa malgodown when police moved in to arrest him following a tip-off about his movement in the area.

Budhia sustained a bullet injury to his right leg during the encounter and was admitted to Bhadrak hospital in a critical condition. A country-made firearm and some live bullets were seized from his possession, police said.

Encounter Following Tip-Off

According to reports, Bhadrak Town Police received information at around 5:00 am that Budhia was roaming on a bike with his associate. Acting on the input, a six-member police team, including the Bhadrak Town Police Station IIC, rushed to the spot to apprehend him.

At around 5:15 am, police located Budhia, who was reportedly moving with an associate on a black motorcycle without a registration number. On noticing the police team, Budhia allegedly opened fire first, discharging some rounds at the police personnel, including the IIC.

Police Counter-Fire and Arrest

In the ensuing counter-action, police fired at Budhia, with one bullet hitting his right leg. His associate managed to flee the scene with the motorcycle. Budhia was subsequently taken into custody and shifted to hospital for treatment.

Police confirmed that Budhia hails from Tudigadia village in Balasore district and has nearly 15 criminal cases registered against him across various police stations in Bhadrak and Balasore districts.

Criminal Background Under Probe

Investigators said Budhia was allegedly involved in several serious offences, including cases in which Rs 15 lakh was looted near Khaira after firing, and Rs 5 lakh was looted from Soro a few days ago. Records indicate that in all cases registered against him, he allegedly used firearms during the commission of crimes and looted crores of rupees over time.