A notorious thief from Chaibasa, Mohammad Nafees, was injured in a police encounter in Odisha's Kendujhar district after he opened fire on a police team that had taken him to recover stolen goods. The incident took place on Monday morning, and the retaliatory fire from police hit him in the right knee, after which he was taken back into custody.
Who is Mohammad Nafees
A resident of the Majhgaon police station area in Chaibasa district, Mohammad Nafees had been active for a long time in areas along the Jharkhand-Odisha border. According to police records, more than 30 cases of theft and robbery are registered against him, making him a long-known repeat offender in the region. During questioning, he told police that he had hidden the stolen goods in the Patla forest, which falls under the Champua police station area of Odisha's Kendujhar district. Acting on this disclosure, police planned an operation to recover the stolen items.
Firing breaks out during the recovery operation
The police team reached Patla forest with Mohammad Nafees around five in the morning on Monday, so that the stolen goods he had pointed out could be recovered. But as soon as the recovery operation began, the accused pulled out a country-made pistol that he had earlier hidden in the forest and fired two rounds at the police team. Before the team could fully react to this sudden attack, Mohammad Nafees also tried to take advantage of the dense forest and flee the spot.
Police retaliate in self-defence, bullet hits his knee
According to police, personnel fired back in self-defence immediately after the accused opened fire. A bullet from this retaliatory fire struck Mohammad Nafees in the right knee, causing him to fall injured on the spot, which foiled his attempt to escape. Police then took him back into custody and cordoned off the entire area, launching a thorough search operation.
Following the encounter, police also recovered the same country-made pistol from the spot, the one the accused had used to fire at the team. Police are now investigating where the weapon came from and in which other incidents it may have been used earlier. Alongside this, the recovery of the stolen goods and the role of other people linked to Mohammad Nafees's network are also under investigation, in an effort to trace the wider gang.
Admitted to hospital, under police watch
The injured Mohammad Nafees was immediately taken to Champua hospital, where doctors provided first aid before referring him to Kendujhar district hospital for better treatment. He is currently undergoing treatment there under police surveillance, with his movements being closely monitored.
Police have been running a continuous crackdown against criminals active in the areas bordering Jharkhand and Odisha, since such offenders often exploit dense forests and remote stretches to slip from one state into another and evade arrest. In the case of Mohammad Nafees, police managed not only to overpower him on the spot but also recovered the weapon used, which will strengthen the ongoing investigation. Further investigation into the case continues.
