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Bengal undertrial prisoner, who fled from custody, dies in encounter with police
The undertrial prisoner had fled from custody on Wednesday in Bengal’s North Dinajpur district after shooting at police personnel with a pistol
A 25-year-old undertrial prisoner, who fled from custody on Wednesday in Bengal’s North Dinajpur district after shooting at police personnel with a pistol, died in an encounter with a search team on Saturday morning, police said.
Sajjak Alam, 25, the undertrial prisoner who fled from custody on Wednesday in Bengal’s North Dinajpur district after shooting at police personnel with a pistol, died in an encounter with a search team on Saturday morning, Jawed Shamim, additional director general of police (law and order), said.
“We received information that Sajjak Alam (the undertrial prisoner) was trying to flee to Bangladesh. Around 7am, he was spotted near a bridge close to the border. A police search team tried to stop him from escaping when he fired around four rounds. The police fired back and Sajjak sustained injuries. He died at a local hospital,” said Jawed Shamim, additional director general of police (law and order).
Alam was arrested in 2019 on charges of murdering a man in the district’s Karandighi police station area. On Wednesday, he was taken from Raiganj correctional home to Islampur court. On the way back to the correctional home, Alam told the escorting policemen that he needed to go to the toilet and opened fire.
“It is most likely that someone gave Sajjak the pistol when he was in the crowded court premises. A constable and a sub-inspector sustained bullet injuries when he opened fire,” Shamim said.
“Since a prisoner procured a weapon while in custody, four police personnel were suspended on Friday on charges of dereliction of duty,” he added.
Police have announced a reward for the arrest of Mokhtar Hossain, a Bangladesh-born criminal who is suspected to have given the pistol to Sajjak on Wednesday.
“We will arrest him, too, very soon,” Shamim said.
