CUTTACK: Almost a week after dreaded criminal Mirza Akhbar Baig alias Dukha was killed in bomb explosion in a shop at Mangi Gada in Nemalo, police on Tuesday rescued a 20-year-old woman whom the former had kidnapped four years back, and held captive at his house in Mumbai’s Shivaji Nagar.
Police sources said the woman, belonging to the Nemalo area, was kidnapped by Dukha when she was 16. She was handed over to her parents.
Meanwhile, six of Dukha’s associates - Mirza Faizal Baig, Mirza Hakim Baig, Sk Matlub Alli, Debendra Choudhury, Mirza Jahid Baig and Niyaj Khan, belonging to various places of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur, were also arrested on the day. Around four kilograms of explosive materials, illegal firearms, a sword, four motorcycles and as many mobile phones were seized from their possession.
Cuttack SP (rural) Prateek Singh said that after Dukha was killed while preparing bombs on May 28 here, a special police team was formed to trace his associates. A dreaded criminal, Dukha of Nahalpur village was involved in a series of criminal cases and residing at Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai.
Dukha had come to his village on May 25 and the same night, he along with his associates set afire an ambulance in Kakudiapada village to create panic among local residents. A separate case had been registered at the Nemalo police station in this connection.
Police said, after the incident, Dukha had gone back to Mumbai and returned again on May 27. He was staying at the back side of the shop belonging to Mirza Faizal Baig at Mangi Gada, and preparing explosives.
During the investigation, police also found out that he had been attempting to extort Rs 2 crore from a Mumbai-based businessman. On May 27 and 28, Dukha and his associates had again threatened the businessman to give them the money else they would bomb his house and kill his family members, police said.
They were preparing the bombs for the purpose when one exploded rendering Dukha severely injured. He was rushed to SCB MCH where he succumbed during treatment. The shop had also been completely damaged in the incident.
Police said Dukha and his associates had already extorted around `1 crore from the said businessman in the last two to three years but he had not reported the matter out of fear.