Berhampur, May 26: Berhampur has witnessed an intense crackdown on criminal activities, with police carrying out five encounters within the last 10 days amid rising incidents of violent crime in the Silk City.

In another major development in the early hours of Tuesday, police conducted a double encounter involving two accused linked to the kidnapping and murder of Gopalpur-based plot trader Sudhir Patra.

The two accused were identified as Ranjan Mallik from Nuagaon under Badagada police station limits and Saroj Panda from the Sikiri area under Hinjili police station limits.

According to police, Ranjan and Saroj, along with two others, were being brought from Rajasthan on transit remand. While passing through Ratnapur under Sadar police station limits around midnight, the accused allegedly asked police to stop the vehicle so they could relieve themselves.

Police said an ASI and a constable got down from the vehicle, during which the accused allegedly attempted to escape. During the scuffle, they reportedly snatched a police service revolver and opened fire at police personnel.

Police retaliated, leading to an encounter in which both Ranjan and Saroj sustained bullet injuries to their legs.

The injured accused were later admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for treatment.

Investigators said the two accused were allegedly involved in the murder conspiracy along with the prime accused Surya Pratap Singh alias Golu.

Police further claimed that Sudhir Patra’s niece Nibedita and her lover Kalu had allegedly helped plan the murder. The conspiracy reportedly involved several others, including suspects from Surat and Ganjam.

Sources said Ranjan and Saroj had earlier been arrested in a ganja trafficking case in Surat, where they allegedly came in contact with other accused persons while in jail. Police also suspect their involvement in a murder case in Surat and several other criminal cases.

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After the murder of Sudhir Patra, police had arrested Golu, while the other accused allegedly fled. Acting on intelligence inputs about their presence in Rajasthan, police conducted raids and arrested them before bringing them back to Odisha on transit remand.

Sunday Encounter
On Sunday night, around 9 pm, miscreants allegedly attacked a youth identified as Mangala Behera in Ambika Nagar. Within five hours of a video of the attack going viral, police conducted an encounter against accused Jagannath Sahu alias Jaga.

Police said Jaga sustained bullet injuries to both knees during the late-night encounter on May 25.

Berhampur Police Encounters In Last 10 Days
May 16, 2026 — Encounter involving Dipuna Nahak
May 20, 2026 — Encounter involving Mukesh Sahu
Late night of May 25, 2026 — Encounter involving Jagannath Sahu
Midnight of May 25, 2026 — Double encounter involving Ranjan Mallik and Saroj Panda