Bargarh: Police officials were caught and beaten black and blue by Nityanandapur villagers when they had gone to arrest a ganja smuggler at the village under Jharbandha police limits in Bargarh district on Friday.
Apart from injuring two cops, the villagers are reported to have locked a woman inspector-in-charge (IIC) in a room.
According to sources, police on Thursday caught Jadunath Sribatsa and Dileswar Gahir of Kesarapur village red-handed when they were receiving marijuana weighing three kilograms from Nanu Sahu of Nityanandapur. However, Nanu managed to flee the scene.
Though police chased Nanu, went in vain.
A police team comprising ASI Samaru Nag, constables Dactar Sandh and Akash Pradhan led by IIC Suchismita Mohanty raided the house of Nanu in the wee hours of Friday.
When Nanu was being taken to the police van, his family members and villagers mobbed the police. They thrashed the police team like anything and locked the IIC inside a room.
On a tip-off, Bilaspur Sarpanch Chaitaram Nayak reached the spot, pacified villagers and rescued the police team.
Sub-division police officer (SDPO) Bibhuti Bhushan Bhoi, Paikamal police and Jagadalpur police arrested eight villagers including a few women in this connection and forwarded them to court. Also, police have seized six bikes, a car and a tractor.
