How 4 foreign women facing drug charges outsmarted guards at a shelter in Bengaluru
The major security lapse was reported from Bengaluru's Dodda Gubbi area on May 11, and the police have launched a search operation to trace the women from Uganda and Burundi.
Four foreign nationals facing active NDPS trials in Bengaluru pulled off a pre-planned dawn escape from a city shelter (Image generated using AI). Four overstaying foreign nationals, who were under custody for drug-related offences, escaped from an NGO shelter in Bengaluru last week, despite six police personnel being deployed to guard the facility.
The incident occurred between 3 am and 6 am on May 11 at the New Ark Mission of India (Home of Hope) shelter, located near KRC Road in Dodda Gubbi. According to the Kothanur police, the escapees are all women. They have been identified as Topista Kwikiriza, Nagawa Sheillah, and Safina Nakanyike from Uganda, and Fitina Nzeyimana from Burundi.
The police said that all four had previously been arrested in different cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act across Bengaluru.
According to the police, the Home of Hope facility was being used to house 40 overstaying foreign nationals awaiting completion of their legal trials or deportation procedures.
“While the state government operates a dedicated detention and deportation centre, it lacks the capacity to accommodate everyone,” a police officer said. “Consequently, some people facing active court cases are temporarily placed in this NGO facility before they can be legally deported. A team of 12 police personnel is typically deployed to guard the premises in 24/7 rotating shifts.”
The police said initial inquiries suggest that the escape was carefully orchestrated. The four women broke open the window grills of their room during the early hours of dawn to slip past the security guards unnoticed, they said.
“They had been kept at the centre for the last four months and were consistently demanding to be released. However, they were legally restricted from leaving due to their pending criminal trials,” said the officer.
The Kothanur police registered a criminal case under Sections 20 and 23 of the Immigration Act, along with relevant provisions of the Foreigners Act, on May 12, following a complaint lodged by the NGO’s administrative staff. A massive search has been launched to track down the women.
Share
