Jailed Odisha gangster flees hospital after feeding spiked biryani to guard

Senior Odisha police officials said there appeared to be clear laxity in the handling of the gangster’s security.

Published on: Apr 11, 2021, 12:50:30 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A gangster serving life sentence, escaped from a government medical college cum hospital in Odisha on Saturday afternoon, after drugging the policeman in charge of his security, said police. However, the circumstances of his escape have cast a big shadow on the police department.

Sheikh Hyder, who was serving life sentence since 2015 in the case of murder of miner Rashmi Mohapatra, was brought to Srirama Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, from Sambalpur circle jail, 28 days ago for a surgery. On Saturday afternoon, he was found missing from his bed in the surgery department by a nurse, who wanted to give the gangster a jab. She also found the sentry sleeping.

“When I arrived at the bed at 5.30 pm, I found the sentry sleeping. He woke him up, but he was disoriented. Hyder was not there on his bed,” said the nurse.

Senior police officials said there appeared to be clear laxity in the handling of the gangster’s security.

“It was the duty of police officials in Sambalpur (from where he was taken to Cuttack) to ensure his foolproof security. Just one armed police security was given. We did not even know that the gangster was being treated in SCB Medical College and Hospital since the last 28 days. We were informed only after he fled,” said Soumendra Priyadarshi, Bhubaneswar Cuttack police commissioner.

Cuttack deputy commissioner of police Prateek Singh said the lone security guard on duty was given a spiked soft drink by Hyder’s associates. However, another official claimed the guard was reportedly fed Hyderabadi biryani, spiked with drugs, before the gangster fled. Police said they were still investigating who helped Hyder inside the hospital.

That’s not the only mystery though; another police official said the circumstances of Hyder’s referral to SCB Medical College and Hospital were also not clear. “While there were reports that he was to be operated on his gallbladder, yet there are contradictory reports of him having different health issues. The doctors will have to be questioned,” said an official, who didn’t wish to be named.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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