Bhubaneswar: A habitual thief was arrested in connection with the sensational rape case reported from a posh locality in the city on Thursday, with police on Saturday saying that he allegedly targeted the victim’s house with the intention of committing theft, but sexually assaulted the woman after being confronted.Santosh alias Sreedhar Panda (24) of Ganjam district was nabbed after an extensive manhunt. However, during the arrest attempt near Chandaka, he allegedly attacked an officer with a screwdriver, after which police fired in self-defence when he was shot in leg.Police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said that the incident was reported on the night of Sept 30, following which an extensive investigation began, during which police analysed footage from over 300 CCTV cameras. “The motive for the crime was to steal. He found the victim’s house door open and entered with the intention to steal. When the woman shouted, he gagged her and allegedly raped her,” he said, adding the accused didn’t steal anything from the victim’s house and fled the spot after the incident.“He boarded a bus, then an autorickshaw and later stole a bike from Unit-I area to flee. He stayed at Chakeisiani, and was nabbed from Chandaka area this morning following an encounter,” he said.Police said a special squad was constituted after the incident was reported. Police tracked the suspect’s movements across different parts of the city through CCTV footage. When police attempted to apprehend him near Chandaka area, the accused allegedly turned violent and attacked a sub-inspector with a screwdriver.To protect himself, the officer opened fire. Two rounds were fired, and one bullet hit the accused in his leg before he was overpowered and arrested. He was taken to Capital Hospital for treatment later. The arrest in the meantime brought relief to residents, who had expressed concern over the incident.Commissionerate police said Panda is a repeat offender with a history of property crimes. He had earlier been arrested in a mobile theft case registered at Khandagiri police station in 2023, and a house-breaking and theft case registered at Tamando police station the same year.The 26-year-old victim had initially alleged that the accused threatened her with a firearm. During the investigation, police recovered and verified that the object was not a real gun but a lighter designed in the shape of a pistol, which the accused allegedly used to intimidate the woman.