Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, June 4: Three days after a bus owner was shot dead at Badambadi, unidentified goons today opened fire at a man at Golia Pokhari in the Govindpur police limits, around 15 kilometres from Cuttack.
The victim, Sapan Mallick, 30, received a bullet in his right leg. Mallick, who is from Erasama in Jagatsinghpur district, was working as a roller operator with a construction company at Golia Pokhari.
“We were having lunch when two motorcycle-borne men asked Mallick about the whereabouts of a person. When he said that he didn’t know, they opened fire on him,” said Mallick’s friend, who accompanied him to Capital Hospital.
Doctors, who attended to Mallick at hospital, said his condition was now stable.
Police sources said the incident might be the fallout of a dispute that had taken place earlier.
“There was a dispute between two groups of people over the supply of vehicles for road construction under the central government scheme Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana,” said a senior police official of Govindpur police station.
“One group had hurled bombs at the other last month. This incident could be a sequel to that earlier one,” said the police officer.
Mallick, who operated a roller, belongs to one of the groups.
The police have started an investigation into the matter.
“We have recovered a live bullet from the spot. We are sealing all the routes and checking vehicles on the National Highway No. 5 to try and catch the criminals involved in today’s shooting,” said the officer.
Incidents of firing have become a cause of worry for the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police.
A bus owner, Amarendra Rout, 35, was shot dead by goons on June 1. The goons fired two rounds of bullets at him near Palamandap.
On May 31, goons had opened fire at a medicine shop owner at Mangalabag. The cops arrested two suspects accused in the case on June 2.
“Easy availability of guns has become a major problem for the police of the twin cities. Guns are now found easily on the outskirts of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as well. Even petty criminals are using guns,” said a senior police official in Cuttack.
Police sources said country pistols, revolvers and foreign-made revolvers are available at prices ranging between Rs 3,000 and Rs 60,000. Buyers can avail of them within seven days.
In most cases, the suppliers of arms have links with smugglers in Calcutta and Bihar.
“Sophisticated guns are also supplied to goons from these places. This is one of the reasons that 70 per cent of murder cases in the twin cities are caused by shooting,” said a senior police officer of Bhubaneswar.