Late on Thursday night, a young person in the Naranpur area under the Sadar Police Station in the Kendrapara district was shot by suspected livestock smugglers, resulting in injuries. Akshaya Das, a resident of Pasta village, has been identified as the victim. He was shot in the left thigh.
Sources claim that at around three in the morning, a group of young people from the area stopped a car that was allegedly transporting livestock at Gandakia Chhak. The young people had previously voiced concerns about the same vehicle being used to transport cattle illegally.
Another Bolero car is said to have arrived at the scene while the group was questioning the vehicle. The teens were allegedly attacked by those in the second car, prompting them to escape into the hamlet in order to protect themselves.

Das was sleeping inside the local club house when the tragedy occurred. He heard the disturbance and went outside, only to be shot by the smugglers who had come into the village while chasing the others. His left thigh was hit by the bullet.
He was taken right away to the District Headquarters Hospital, where he is still receiving medical attention.
Das claimed, "They shot at me while I was sleeping in the Naranpur clubhouse."
"We were four people when they started threatening us," a local claimed. When they produced a gun, the situation got worse. Before long, two cars arrived at the scene, one of which was a Bolero carrying about twelve people, and they started shooting. Even an innocent person was shot by them.

Soon after the event, police arrived on the scene and began looking into the firing and the accused cattle-smuggling. To identify the accused, authorities are confirming eyewitness reports and CCTV evidence.