Shyamal Das (1966 – June 2, 2011), more popularly known as "Hubba Shyamal" was an Indian gangster, crime boss, murderer, rampage killer and convicted criminal from Hooghly district in West Bengal. He started committing serious crimes from the 1980s which include murder, robbery, theft, extortion and drug trafficking of many victims. He was known as the "Dawood Ibrahim of Hooghly". He was involved in the real estate business and also ran a gang. His biographical film named Hubba was directed by Bratya Basu. His gang's crimes materialized in the districts of Hooghly, Howrah and North 24 Parganas and also the capital Kolkata. His gang consisted of more than a hundred members when he was alive. Das was originally from ward no. 2 of Konnagar. He was known for his unique style of 'Poite Cut'. His body was discovered in a canal in Baidyabati in 2011.
Das started his career by robbing train wagons. He later performed critical murders, drug trafficking and assets theft from closed factories. He recruited many skilled henchmen into his gang. He fled Konnagar after being convicted of multiple murders and crimes. While out, Das had informers present in Konnagar and Rishra who gave him police info secretly. He became a millionaire in the meantime from robberies and stealing and from his real estate business. For many years, he controlled the markets and lands of south Hooghly while remaining out of sight. Other than Hooghly, he operated secondarily in Howrah, Kolkata and North 24 Parganas district. Das was not found or charged until his first arrest in 2005 in Kolkata, where he stayed for 2 years. He was detained a total of three times, once in 2008 and 2011, getting out using bail all three times.
Career
Early life 'Hubba' Shyamal Das was born in Konnagar city of Hooghly district in a rented house in 1966. His father worked in a cotton factory. Das only wanted to study till third grade and rarely went to school after that. He would spend his time sitting beside railway lines and watching freight trains pass. He would help his mother weave cloth as she worked as a textile weaver. He dropped out of school at fifth grade. When he was 14, he smoked bidi and bought drugs. He told his father that he would rather rob wagons of freight trains rather than do labor work and started robbing wagons from 16. He first robbed machines from a nearby Imperial Chemical Industries factory in the night.
1984–Mid 1990s
First murder and forming of the gang In 1984, an employee of the factory was returning with his bicycle, carrying a bag of money. Das asked him to hand all of the money over. When he refused, Das stabbed him with a knife and ran away with the money. The locals reported to the local police station. Das temporarily fled the area being pressured and suspected. Das had to leave the neighborhood for a long time after the police raided his house in the mid-80s. He sent a letter to an eighth grade girl, Tapsi, he had a relationship with, who lived natively in Konnagar. He took her away from her home at night after one or two years and they married in the local temple (mandir).
By the 1990s, Das's main motive was to rob assets from closed industrial factories in the area, forming his own gang for making things easier. Ramesh Mahato used to work as a paid writer. He met Das at a gambling site, formed friendship and he became the second most important person in the gang after Das. The third most important was Benarasi Bapi, originally from Varanasi, who Das met at a criminal hideout in Liluah and was immediately recruited into the gang. Another criminal was Nepu Giri, a criminal from the start, he became a hired professional killer for Das, he followed Das's killing orders without any hesitation.
Bindal Paper Mill Das made a choice that he would return to his authentic house in Konnagar, in the mid-90s with his now-large gang. He had planned to rob a recently closed Bindal Paper Mill, valuing well over one lakh rupees. He took a different method of stealing than how he normally would, letting other criminals under surveillance from his gang members steal the goods and bring them to Shyamal Das. He marked that anyone could rob material anytime from the factory, but it must go to Das. Shyamal Das sold the stolen (smuggled) goods to the market at half the then market-price. A market seller had wanted to rise the price from (half of then market-price) to . Das shot him in the chest twice with a revolver stating he was no one to control the market. He was listed 'missing' by police.
Mid 1990s–2003: Control over Konnagar and Rishra
Shyamal–Bagha conflict (war) Das sold thousands of tons of illegal goods from factories, making him a millionaire. His next target was to make him the 'don' of Hooghly and Howrah. Das was opposed by a former member of his gang, Bagha. In the late nineties (1997 to 1999), gang wars commenced between the gang of Bagha and the gang of Das. Both sides fought for the entire control of Konnagar, resulting in numerous killings and deaths of gang members of both sides. Some of the murders would reach newspapers. Two members of Das were killed by Bagha's gang. Das entered the hideout and controlled territories of Bagha and killed four gang members and burnt down their houses. Bagha escaped. The police from then took multiple crucial measures like raids and car searches. Shyamal was nowhere to be found, and was one of the only ones in his gang to not be caught in the nineties, he ranked number one on police lists.
After his disappearance, even, for undercover officers, his related people were always ready to inform Das of the news and he would know about police in a small moment of time. The local vendors, sellers and businessmen began to keep surveillance on the police officers who patrolled the area (Konnagar-Rishra), using various codenames to refer to the ranks of the officers. Some cops alleged that Shyamal's members were present inside the police forces.
Out of Konnagar and Rishra Das was known as the 'Robin Hood' of Konnagar and Rishra, as he supposedly helped poor and needy people and gave money to people when needed, this was a hoax, Das actually spent no money. By keeping this rumor running, Das made a name of himself and had engaged more people to inform him when something went wrong. Das handed monthly salaries to people who provided him information. There were also many people who worked as informing him without any money given. Das used them to spread the rumors about his donations and helpfulness. While in exile, Das never told anyone where he would, how much money he spent gambling and whether he was sober or not. He never told anyone his exact plans, for telling time (when he went), he gave a range of time and not the exact, or would not go or go another time sometimes. A man informed the local SPDO of Das's plans. Das went to his house and killed him in front of his mother. He later dismembered his body and threw it in front of the Rishra rail crossing.
By the time mobile phones were in circulation, Das used with critical measurements and caution. He had learned that police could find out the location of the user just by using their signal to connect to a mobile tower. Normally he kept 2 phones with himself and 4 others for his accomplices. He used each one for no more than 2 hours at a time. No one knew what phone he used, when it was last used and where he used it. He always kept in mind that maybe the police were listening to him and tracking him.
In real estate business Having everything well set, Das then entered the real estate business and worked also as a land promoter. At that time, many buildings were being built in south Hooghly and vacant property was being sold fast. When both Das and Mahato decided about a plot of land, they thought of buying it, building an apartment on it, and selling it for a high price. In the first case, the landowner did not agree with the price Das had offered. Das pulled out a pistol and coerced him to give up the land. Das said that he could make huge profits from selling his apartment if it appeared in advertisements on newspapers. He subsequently started building on the land.
When someone wanted to build an apartment in his area, to per square foot would had to be commissioned to Das. If someone didn't have the money to build an apartment, he would lend them money, with a three percent return per month, for one hundred months. The materials for building were supplied by associates of Das who specialized in the construction materials sector. He hired an engineer to measure land accurately, then providing funds and himself kept track of money. Once the money sources were properly set, Das bought luxury cars and rented many apartments in the capital Kolkata, temporarily, their location only known by his close people. In these flats, sometimes he would host parties with treats and alcohol. He started wearing high quality clothes, shoes, sunglasses, mainly White Kurtis and pajamas from the best cloth makers from Kolkata. He had two girls, one from his first wife Tapsi and one from his second wife Mitali. Das enrolled them in Abhijit English medium school in Kolkata.
A disagreement happened between Das and Mahato. Das said having enough money and control, the emphasis should have been on the crime syndicate. He had enough influence and did not want to get tangled in situations unless absolutely necessary. Besides, the police already had numerous charges filed in his name. By creating a 'Robin Hood' image, next he wanted to enroll his name in the municipal candidates list. Mahato said that the syndicate can remain as-is, Das would be keeping an eye on the gang, and also the business. The theft from factories and coercion of people and gang actions would had to be decided frequently. Otherwise the control of the gang and its areas and the real estate would lose its power and slip out of control. He opposed to Das joining politics. The local and Kolkata Police in the meantime had gained the help of Crime Investigation Department of India, forming a special branch to monitor and track Shyamal Das. Hubba Shyamal did not stop his custom of changing phones or its SIM cards.
Hooghly industrial belt massacre Das conducted his operation for many years on the Hooghly industrial belt. Sisir Chakraborty, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, issued orders to him and his gang. Chakraborty and Das were primary enemies of Manas Roy Chowdhury. Das set out to kill Roy Chowdhury and his gang. In the Hooghly industrial region, more than 50 gang members and criminals died in a gang war, with Das's gang believed to have slaughtered about 30 victims, bringing charges upon Das. Roy Chowdhury was assassinated in 2003. Shyamal Das, Benarasi Bapi and some other criminals killed him using a chopper in a market near Konnagar railway station.
2003–2005: Kolkata
Dispute with promoter and going to Kolkata Das tended to avoid conflict and wars after the 2003 Hooghly industrial belt massacre. In December 2005, a promoter did not agree with Shyamal to give away his land. This promoter was connected to higher authorities. He refused to give up his land, even when Das forced him to, and kept it free from having any projects built on it. Das went to the site manager of that land and shot him, then threatened to kill all of the promoter's family. The CID recorded a one-and-a-half-minute recording on a cell phone where Das informed his associate he was thinking of exploding the promoter's house. The CID and local police organized a meeting. The SP Hooghly were informed to always keep notice. The SP Howrah's force was sent to discover and inquire about the promoter's plot of land in undercover. The local police were to keep track and try to uncover any of possible Das's calls at any given time.
Hiding in Kolkata