Notorious Criminal Injured in Police Encounter During Ganja Smuggling Bid in Sambalpur

Sambalpur: A notorious criminal with more than 16 criminal cases against him sustained bullet injuries during a police encounter after allegedly opening fire at a police team while attempting to smuggle ganja through a forest route in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Tuesday evening.

The accused, identified as Bunty Suna, is known to be involved in several cases related to firearms offences, robbery, and dacoity across Sambalpur and Bolangir districts. Police said he was also actively linked to an interstate ganja smuggling network operating along the Boudh–Sonepur route.

According to police sources, acting on specific intelligence inputs, a police team intercepted a suspected Tata Tiago vehicle near the Mochibahal forest road under Charmal police limits at around 5:40 PM. When officers signalled the vehicle to stop, the driver allegedly tried to flee at high speed. However, the car soon lost balance and overturned on the roadside.

Police claimed that soon after the vehicle overturned, Bunty Suna came out of the car and opened fire at the police party using a pistol. Despite repeated warnings to surrender, he allegedly continued firing, forcing the police team to retaliate in self-defence. During the exchange of fire, Bunty Suna sustained gunshot injuries.

He was initially taken to Charmal Hospital and later shifted to VIMSAR Burla for advanced treatment.

During a search operation, police recovered a quantity of ganja from the vehicle along with a purse containing cash, ATM cards and a driving licence. The seized items and contraband have been taken into custody as evidence.

Police have registered a case under the NDPS Act at Charmal Police Station and launched a detailed investigation into the alleged ganja-arms nexus. Officials further revealed that Bunty Suna had long been under the scanner for his involvement in organised criminal activities and illegal arms trade.

The encounter comes days after Ainthapali police seized illegal firearms and ammunition during a separate crackdown, which reportedly led investigators to Bunty Suna’s alleged role in the interstate ganja-for-weapons network.