Notorious gangster Sheikh Haider, who is serving life imprisonment, escaped from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack while undergoing treatment. He escaped from ward No 5 of the surgery ward of SCB after overpowering an APR guard who was on security duty.

He was lodged at the Sambalpur circle jail and was shifted to SCB a couple of days back after undergoing preliminary treatment for some illness from Vimsar, Burla.

Soon after he escaped from the hospital, a major combing operation was launched in the state and all exit points were sealed. The team, comprising SPs of Kendrapara, Jajpur, Cuttack DCP and other senior officials, has launched a manhunt to nab the dreaded criminal, informed DGP of Prisons.

“All our special teams have been alerted and a massive search operation has been launched. Neighbouring states have also been notified about the development. We are hopeful to arrest the criminal at the earliest,” the police said.

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On May 2, 2017, Haider was transferred to Sambalpur jail from Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar due to security reasons following reports of a gang war with the Dhalasamanta brothers.

The staff nurse who was on duty at the ward where Haider was admitted, told that she had seen him when she went to administer the medicine and there were 4 to 5 people and security guards nearby. But later at 5.30 pm, when she visited him again, the guard was sleeping and the patient went missing, she added.

The staff-nurse on duty at the ward where Haider was admitted in SCB informed, “I last saw him (Haider) when I went to the ward to administer medicine & there were 4 to 5 people & security guard nearby but when I visited again at 5.30 pm, the guard was sleeping and the patient was missing.”

Bhubaneswar Cuttack Police Commissioner Saumendra Priyadarshi said a core team has been constituted to nab the gangster. At least three District Superintendent of Police and the DCP Cuttack have been supervising the search operations and were confident of nabbing the gangster soon.

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