Adding to the embarrassment of the Uttarakhand police grappling with myriad crimes occurring across the State, several cases of jail inmates escaping from police custody while being taken outside the jails for various reasons are happening here at regular intervals. The latest happened in Haridwar on Friday when a rape convict escaped from police custody around noon while being taken back to the prison from a hospital where he was taken for medical checkup. He jumped from the tempo he was on. However, luckily for police, the convict was grabbed a few hours after he had escaped. But the cops are not lucky in many of such cases.
In all, four such incidents have been reported in the State over the past nine months. Despite the district police heads having suspended cops who were tasked to escort the convicts, things are still continuing to the anguish of the top cops. It is clear that police are still ill-prepared to stop such daring escapades.
Two inmates of Sampurnanand camp jail (open jail) — 34-year-old Hansraj alias Hansa and 38- year-old Harvansh alias Vansha, (two brothers) from Sitarganj escaped from the jail when they were working in paddy fields in August first week. They were serving life- terms convicted of a murder case. They are still at large.
In another such instance, an under-trial prisoner Murad Ali escaped from police custody from a running train at Fatiya about two kilometers away from Kashipur Railway Station on July 22.
Earlier in May 2015, a convict Zakir Hussain, native of Haryana, who had been lodged in Haridwar jail, escaped from a speeding train while being taken to court at Haldwani from Haridwar. He gave the police escorts a slip while he pretended going to the train’s toilet. Husain serving life imprisonment for murder of a woman was shifted for security reasons to Haridwar jail from Haldwani jail in 2013. He had escaped while being taken to Haldwani in connection with a case pending before family court over some disputes with his wife, it is learnt.
In an infamous case that drew sharp flaks for the State’s police force, Amit Malik alias Bhura had escaped on December 15, 2014 from police custody while being taken to the court in Baghpat where he was taken in connection with a murder case.
The gangsters managed to give the armed escort of Bhura a slip by sprinkling chili powder on the cops and helped him escape. later, he was arrested by Punjab police.
Sitting up in alarm, additional director general of police Ram Singh Meena had directed the district police officers to ensure that adequate policemen were deployed to escort the inmates when they were being taken to appear in the court or in the hospital.
The escort team members should be properly briefed by experienced police officers,he had ordered. Instruction was issued to the jail officials to check the belongings
of the hardcore criminals daily and ensure that he did not use cell phone while being in jail.
“But it seems such instructions are ending in smoke as the cops on the ground level are still far from taking things in right earnest,” said an observer.