KENDRAPARA: A tight security ring was thrown in and around Kendrapara town hours after news of dreaded gangster Sk Hyder’s death spread on Saturday. A native of the coastal town, Hyder was killed in a police encounter near Simulia in Balasore district while being shifted from Cuttack’s Choudwar to Baripada special jail for security reasons.
Fifteen platoons of force were deployed in the town to check any untoward incident. Security forces are patrolling in sensitive areas and checking all vehicles. Police have also cordoned off the house of Hyder at Ranapada in the town, Kendrapara sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Rajiv Lochan Panda said.
A poor rickshaw puller three decades back, Hyder went on to become a dreaded gangster with political patronage and small-time criminals who helped him mint crores of rupees.
His clout spread to tender-fixing as he manipulated major contracts with support from political leaders and local administration. Using his ill-gotten wealth, Hyder converted his humble family house into a two-storey palatial building in Ranapada village. He also became the owner of two market complexes at Kendrapara.
Hyder was arrested from Nagpur in 2005 for his involvement in a series of crimes in the State and languishing in jail. In April this year, he escaped from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack leaving Odisha police red-faced. The gangster was later recaptured from Telangana.
Meanwhile, many people of Kendrapara heaved a sigh of relief after the encounter of Hyder. Many prominent traders, who were allegedly paying protection money to Hyder’s gang, are happy that the threat has been eliminated.
“This is a huge relief for all of us. While Hyder has been killed, another gangster Usman Ali alias Tito is languishing in jail. We hope residents will feel safe now,” said a prominent businessman of Kendrapara town. Kendrapara, better known as the crime capital of Odisha, has given birth to some of the notorious gangsters like Tito and other criminal gangs apart from Hyder.
But why is the coastal district infamous as the breeding ground of notorious criminals? Political patronage, easy money, absence of law and order besides venal police officials are some of the reasons. On the other hand, Hyder’s wife Hasina Bibi alleged that her husband was murdered by police and termed the encounter as fake. She also sought investigation into her husband’s death by an independent agency. Hasina also demanded that Hyder’s body should be handed over to her by police for a decent burial.