Fugitive undertrial killed in encounter with police in Goalpokhar, accomplice at large

Absconding undertrial Abdul Hossain (left), and killed fugitive criminial Sajjak Alam; (right)

Radhamadhab Saha, MP, 19 Jan 2025, Raiganj: Sajjak Alam, a fugitive undertrial and notorious criminal, was killed in a police encounter at Kichaktola in Sahapur, just 3 km away from the Bangladesh border under the Goalpokhar Police Station area of North Dinajpur district on Saturday morning. 

Another wanted criminal, Abdul Hussain alias Abal, re-portedly fled the scene and remains at large. Police have intensified combing operations in the sur-rounding villages to capture him, sparking tension in the Goalpokhar area. 

According to police sources, around 7 am on Saturday, officers patrolling in dense fog noticed Alam (25) walking along the culvert of a canal in Kichaktola, hiding his face with a shawl. 

He was reportedly moving toward the Bangladesh border. When instructed to stop, Alam allegedly opened fire on the police, firing three rounds. The police narrowly escaped unhurt and retaliated with several rounds of gunfire. A

Three bullets reportedly hit Alam in his chest, back, and shoulder. He was immediately rushed to Lo-dhan Hospital in Goalpokhar, where doctors declared him dead after some time. Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Javed Samim, at a media briefing in Bhabani Bhaban, stat-ed: “Both Sajjak (Alam) and Abdul (Hussain) were planning to flee to Bangladesh. 

Acting on intelli-gence, a large police contingent led by DIG Sudhir Nilkanta launched an operation in Kichaktola. Sajjak was found walking along a culvert in the morning. When directed to surrender, he fired at the police, forcing us to retaliate. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.” 

Police are seeking the help of the residents of Kichaktola and Sahapur villages to trace Hussain. “We believe Abdul Hussain is still hiding in the region and a combing operation is underway to appre-hend him. We have initiated a further investigation to get more details of the incident,” added the ADG. 

Alam was accused of murdering businessman Subesh Das in Karandighi on October 7, 2019, when he was just 19 years old. Following his arrest, a custodial trial began in the case. On Wednesday after-noon, while being escorted back to Raiganj Jail after a hearing at the Islampur Sub-Divisional Court, Alam escaped from police custody. He had asked to stop the prison van to address nature’s call near Ekarchala in Goalpokhar.

While the police complied, Alam used a firearm to shoot at police personnel escorting him. Sub-Inspector Nilkanta Sarkar and Constable Deben Baisya were injured in the firing and Alam fled from there on a bike provided by an accomplice. Both injured officers are currently undergo-ing treatment at a private nursing home in Siliguri. 

Following Alam’s escape, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar visited the injured cops in Siliguri and later inspected the site of the incident. The DGP had said: “Our duty is to protect citizens. If miscreants attack the police, we will retaliate … because we are trained for such situations.” 

Later, the Islampur District Police announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for information on Alam and Hussain. During their investigation, police uncovered evidence of Alam’s connection with Hussain, a Bangla-deshi national. 

Hussain had reportedly supplied firearms to Alam during his stay in Islampur court. Hussain, who was arrested in 2019 for illegally entering India with a firearm, was repatriated to Bangla-desh in 2023 after completing his sentence. 

Police have stationed personnel at the home of Subesh Das’s family in Khikirtola, Karandighi, to ensure their safety amid heightened security concerns. Residents of Kichaktola have expressed relief and pride in the police’s actions. “We are proud of the police for eliminating the notorious criminal,” said Md Jamirul Hoque, a local resident 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/fugitive-undertrial-killed-in-encounter-with-police-in-goalpokhar-accomplice-at-large-595355