Eight minor accused who escaped from the Child Remand Home in Gokalpur, Jabalpur, on Monday night, remain untraced even after 30 hours. Three teams of Ranjhi police are conducting an intensive search operation across Jabalpur to track them down.
CCTV footage revealed that all eight juveniles escaped together as a gang. They attacked the watchman, Rajendra Patel, with a metal lock, snatched his keys and mobile phone, and then fled by jumping off the roof.
The watchman was seriously injured but is now reported to be out of danger. Upon receiving the alert, a judicial magistrate and Ranjhi police officers visited the child protection home on Tuesday to investigate the incident.
The juveniles had been sent to the remand home just 15 days ago and have multiple criminal cases against them, including stabbing, assault, and illegal possession of weapons.
At around 2:00 AM on February 4, they were spotted near Shobhapur in another CCTV footage. They attempted to steal a parked bike, but after failing to start it, they abandoned it and continued on foot.
Police suspect that the fugitives might have headed towards Aadhartal railway station and could have boarded a train to Katni or Itarsi.
ASP Suryakant Sharma confirmed that some CCTV evidence has been recovered and that the absconders may have briefly visited their homes to meet their parents before fleeing. The families are being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.
Given their history of serious crimes, authorities are treating the case as a high-priority manhunt. The police continue to track down leads and urge the public to report any sightings of the escaped minors.
The investigation in the case is in progresses.