North Dinajpur police are putting all efforts to nab Sajjak Alam, the undertrial who fired at two policemen at Panjipara on Wednesday evening and fled.
Senior police officers suspect that Alam might escape into Bangladesh as Abdul Hossain, a suspected Bangladeshi who allegedly supplied a firearm to him at the Islampur court lockup, has connections on either side of the border.
“Alam and his cousin Marjina are history sheeters and have connections in the neighbouring state of Bihar. But the police too, are well aware of such places in Bihar where these people might take shelter. That is why, there is always a chance that they might escape to Bangladesh, especially because Abdul Hossain is with them,” said a source.
On Wednesday, while a police team was escorting Alam, who had gunned down Subesh Das, a poultry farm owner in Karandighi of the district in 2019, he managed to stop the police vehicle barely a kilometre ahead of the Panjipara police outpost on NH -27. As he got down from the vehicle, he fired at the two policemen who were escorting him to the Raiganj correctional home from Islampur and fled the spot.
The policemen are still under treatment at a private nursing home in Siliguri.
The police suspect Marjina, Alam’s cousin who runs a gang of criminals, had planned the attack. The police raided the houses of Alam and Marjina. Marjina, along with her family members and relatives, have gone hiding.
Alam’s escape has not gone down well with the residents of Choto Sohar, his native village. “The activities of Sajjak and Marjina are ruining the reputation of our village. We apprehend that it will be known as a hamlet of criminals. We want both of them to be arrested at the earliest. Also, we don’t want them to live in our village,” said Sheikh Ali, a villager.