Gangster Gudda dies in Dum Dum jail

KOLKATA: Sadique Zafar alias Gudda, one of the most dreaded gangsters of the city, died of a suspected heart attack inside Dum Dum jail on Thursday night. An autopsy will reveal if his over-dependence on drugs hastened his end, say officials.
Gudda was all along a security concern for jail officials and police. Guards stopped an escape bid some time ago and there were recent reports that he was trying to run his extortion racket from behind bars. He was initially in New Alipore prison but when a pistol was found in his cell, he was transferred to Dum Dum jail.
Gudda, a central Kolkata don who took to crime at a very young age, faced dozens of cases of murder, extortion and kidnapping. Weeks after his release on bail in September 2010, he was rearrested from Park Street for a series of abductions. Even after being arrested, he made extortion calls from inside his cell, prompting a trader to file a complaint in June 2011. Seven months later, he got into a fight with his guards inside the prison van at Park Circus crossing in an alleged escape bid. His zeal at exacting revenge - even inside jail - kept officials on the tenterhooks. As did his constant fights with sworn enemy Gabbar.
But perhaps Kolkata's crime world will remember him for his minute planning and ruthless execution. He wanted to amass enough wealth to sustain a lavish lifestyle, and found the perfect partner in his girlfriend, 24-year-old Samsad. She was always armed and always at Gudda's side, said officers who had arrested him three years ago. When he got out on bail the last time in 2010, Gudda faced seven cases of armed dacoity, abduction, murder - his forte - in Amherst Street, Narkeldanga and Bowbazar, his original turf. .
Gudda, who enjoyed political patronage through his swift operations'' during elections however earned his mentors' wrath after two quick abductions in 2010. He managed to unleash fear among businessmen after which he started making calls for extortion. Some paid up. But the abduction spree set police hot on his heels. Gudda knew this and kept shuttling between Howrah and Sonarpur all through that year.
Samsad, a divorcee from Tiljala, came in contact with Gudda through a common acquaintance. "The hot headed Gudda was attracted by her intelligence and poise. In fact, Samsad planned many of his daring operations. Among the two known abductions after his bail, Gudda picked up trader Mohammed Asmat from the crowded Kabitirtha area in Watgunge. He was released for a hefty ransom. In quick succession, he kidnapped real-estate developer Santu Sheikh. Santu was shuttled between hideouts in Howrah and Sonarpur, all according to the plan chalked out by Samsad, say police.