A poster of Kalyug: Reel-life crime, real-life arrest

He had dodged the police for the past 21 years while committing one serious crime after another.

His free run, however, came to an abrupt end at a Salt Lake multiplex, where he?d gone to watch Kalyug, a film billed as a journey to hell and back, that delves into crime and pornography.

Hubba Shyamal and two of his associates, Benarasi Bapi and Nitali Das, were arrested at Inox (City Centre) by a CID team on Wednesday evening, while they were coming out after watching the movie.

Hours later, 10 more ?sharp-shooters? of the gang were picked up from Hooghly and Howrah.

Shyamal, 40, is wanted for over 26 cases of murder, extortion and dacoity (mostly on long-distance trains). He is an accused in the murder of a Congress leader in Rishra, Manas Roychoudhury, and gynaecologist Sushil Pal. He operated in Calcutta, Hooghly, Howrah and North 24-Parganas.

?We had a tip-off that Shyamal and his associates would visit the multiplex to watch the evening show. We knew that the trigger-happy criminal would be unarmed, as the guards do not even allow matchboxes inside. But our concern was about the crowd,? said Rajiv Kumar, deputy inspector-general (operations), CID.

A team of six policemen, led by deputy superintendent D.N. Goswami, laid siege to the hall. The sleuths were accompanied by an identifier. The show ended at 8 pm and Shyamal, in a polo-neck pullover and jeans, walked out with Bapi and Nitali.

As the cops closed in, the trio sensed trouble. They raised a ruckus and tried to flee. A short chase later, all three were netted.

Police said Shyamal, alias Hubba, a resident of Konnagar, and Bapi Khastogir, alias Benarasi Bapi, a resident of Dum Dum, were involved in the murder of a youth, Sambhu Roy, in Uttarpara on December 18. The gang had pumped five bullets into 24-year-old Roy.

Following the Salt Lake arrest, police raided a few hideouts in Hooghly and Howrah and picked up 10 more gang members. Seven ?improvised revolvers?, 25 rounds of ammunition and 20 bombs were seized from them.

According to police records, Shyamal started his career as a small-time criminal in Konnagar.