BHUBANESWAR: Gangster Sk Hyder lived by the bullet (there was one even lodged in his abdomen), he died by one too. And in familiar circumstances of trying to escape from police custody.
Two months after he slipped out of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, right under the nose of police, Hyder again allegedly tried another attempt to flee during an inter-prison transfer on Saturday. Police said he snatched a gun from an escort which forced the cops to fire at him. Later, he was declared dead at a hospital.
After his daring escape from Cuttack in April, he was arrested from Telangana and lodged at Choudwar Circle Jail. Before that, he was lodged at Sambalpur jail. Twin City Police Commissioner SK Priyadarshi said the gangster was indulging in subversive activities which necessitated the transfer to Baripada. Such transfers are routine and mostly based on an assessment of situations, he pointed out.
An escort team of Cuttack police led by an inspector, a sub-inspector and one section armed police force was shifting the 60-year old Hyder when he apparently requested the cops to halt near Simulia on the pretext of attending nature’s call. However, after alighting from the police vehicle, he snatched the gun from a policeman and attempted to run away from the spot at around 3.20 pm, Priyadarsi told media persons.
“Police were forced to open ‘controlled fire’ to prevent him from escaping. The gangster sustained bullet injuries and was immediately shifted to Balasore District Hospital,” he added. However, he succumbed in the evening. Known to run his empire from behind the bars, police sources said, Hyder was keeping the prison staff and inmates on tenterhooks
Cuttack DCP Prateek Singh said that discussions were earlier held with the Directorate of Prisons to shift Hyder to Baripada Circle Jail. Based on the court order, he was being shifted. Hospital sources informed that the gangster sustained bullet injuries in his abdomen but more details about his injuries could only be ascertained after the postmortem.
Gangster Hyder dies in encounter
A native of Kendrapara, Hyder’s rise to prominence in the criminal world also marked the emergence of an organized crime syndicate in the State. From the coastal district, he and Sk Suleiman formed a formidable rivalry that sought to wrest control of criminal activities like extortion, abduction and then government contracts for all of which they enjoyed political support which also ensured tacit blessings from the administration. Gang wars also broke out leading to bloodshed.
Hyder was convicted in at least two cases of murder and serving sentences. He was convicted of murdering SK Chuna, brother of his bête noir Suleiman in Kendrapara in 2005. He was arrested the same year from Nagpur and awarded life imprisonment in 2011.
He was also charged with kidnapping and murder of mines trader Rashmi Ranjan Mahapatra in 2008. In 2015, he was sentenced to life again. While serving his sentence, Hyder was known for planning and executing crimes from inside the jail. Three months back on April 10, Hyder had come to SCB Medical College and Hospital for treatment and escaped. He was nabbed from Sangareddy district in Telangana five days later in a joint operation by Commissionerate Police and Hyderabad City Police.