Jharsuguda: Officials reported that a man with multiple criminal charges was injured in a purported shootout with police in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Monday.
Ankit Ghosh, the son of suspected gangster Kamlesh Ghosh, also known as Sonu Ghosh, suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg during the incident, which took place near OPM Ghat in the Brajrajnagar police jurisdiction late on Sunday night.
According to SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra, a special police unit was dispatched to the location following intelligence indicating that a group of criminals had gathered there to carry out unlawful activities.
As the police approached the scene, the suspects opened fire, prompting the officers to return fire in self-defense, during which Ankit was hit. One of his accomplices managed to flee under the cover of darkness, the SP reported.
Ankit was subsequently taken to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital, where he is currently reported to be in stable condition.
The SP indicated that Ankit is implicated in at least seven cases, which include serious charges such as murder and robbery, filed at police stations in Brajrajnagar, Orient, and Belpahar.
Authorities are actively pursuing the individual who escaped, he added.
Local law enforcement has stepped up efforts against organized crime and is implementing strict legal measures against offenders, he noted.
Police records show that Ankit’s father, Kamlesh Ghosh, is a notorious figure in the Brajrajnagar area, facing over 50 criminal charges, including murder, extortion, and illegal arms trafficking.
Kamlesh was the main suspect in the 2019 homicide of fellow criminal Amit Dhal and was later apprehended in Kolkata and confined to Chaudwar Jail. Authorities have invoked several serious charges against him, including provisions of the National Security Act (NSA).
