Six cops suspended after gangster Hyder flees from Odisha hospital

BHUBANESWAR: A day after notorious gangster SK Hyder fled from SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack while undergoing treatment in police custody, six police personnel were placed under suspension on Sunday.

The suspended cops are havildar Ramesh Chandra Dehury, constables Bulbul Sahu, Deepak Sahu, MD Mousim, Umakant Behera and Sudhansu Majhi. Sambalpur SP Battula Gangadhar suspended them for dereliction of duty.

Director General of Police (DGP) chaired a high-level meeting at Commissionerate Police Headquarters in the capital city on Sunday to discuss the steps being taken to trace the absconding gangster.

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner SK Priyadarshi, Crime Branch ADG YK Jethwa, Central Range DIG Jai Narayan Pankaj, and other officers were present.

Cuttack DCP Prateek Singh, Sambalpur and other districts SPs have launched a massive manhunt to nab Hyder.

The gangster, who was serving a life sentence at Sambalpur Circle jail before being brought to the SCB MCH last month for treatment, reportedly drugged the police guards and made away with the help of his associates.

He was apparently suffering from kidney ailment and admitted to the Surgery ward’s cabin number - 5 on March 24.

According to police, one of the constables was found to be in an unconscious state after the gangster’s disappearance was noticed.

Hyder was involved in series of crimes including the killing of bitter rival SK Suleiman’s brother SK Chuna in Bhubaneswar in May, 2005. He had been arrested the same year from Nagpur.

In 2011, Additional Sessions Judge Court had awarded Hyder and seven others life imprisonment for killing Chuna.

A court here had also awarded lifer to Hyder and two associates, while two others were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 2015 in connection with the murder of mines trader Rashmi Ranjan Mahapatra in 2007.