Rourkela, Nov 23: With a success to the Rourkela Police, 3 hardened criminals were nabbed on Sunday after an encounter, who wreaked havoc in & around the Sundargarh district.

The injured ones identified as Chande Nayak,Paras Ram and Rajesh Singh were most wanted in a number of armed robbery cases.

The encounter took place near Lathikata in Rourkela on Sunday, while five other criminals were also apprehended during a confrontation between police and criminals.

According to the police, the criminals tried to flee and opened fire on the cops as they were attempted to resist.

Acting on it, the special team of police retaliated with 'controlled firing,' leading to bullet injuries to three of the accused.

All three injured were shifted to the Rourkela Government Hospital with gunshot wounds to their legs, reported sources.