Undertrial prisoner escapes from jail van on way to Haryana court
Police said an internal inquiry has been initiated and a head constable and a constable have been suspended.
As the van neared the main market in Bawana, Deepak Dabas managed to slip out of the handcuffs and escape. Amit Mehra
A 23-year-old undertrial prisoner managed to escape from a prison van while he was being taken to a court in Haryana Monday morning. Three policeman were in the van at the time of the incident. Police said an internal inquiry has been initiated and a head constable and a constable have been suspended.
Special Commissioner of Police S B K Singh said a case has been registered under sections 223 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by public servant) and 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) of the Indian Penal Code.
[related-post]
Sources said the prisoner, Deepak Dabas, had been lodged in Tihar Jail for a month. He along with three of his associates were arrested for gunning down a cable operator in outer Delhi in January. A police personnel from Kanjhawala police station had managed to nab Dabas and his associates during a shootout.
Police said on Monday at about 11 am, three policemen from the Third Battalion of Delhi Armed Police (DAP) were taking Dabas to a court in Sonipat, Haryana. The van was moving slowly due to heavy traffic in outer Delhi’s Bawana area.
Sources said as the van was passing through the main village market, which is 2 km away from Dabas’s village, he managed slip out of the handcuffs which were too big for him.
As only one constable, Sitaram, was sitting with him in the van’s compartment, he managed to escape easily after a minor scuffle with the constable, said sources.
Haldi Ram, who runs a bangle shop in the market and witnessed the escapade, said, “I had just opened my shop when I heard a commotion outside and someone yelling, ‘pakad pakad’ (catch him). I came out and saw two policemen running behind a man and police van parked outside my shop. A few minutes after, they came back after unsuccessfully trying to chase the man through a gali (bylane).”
Sources said one of the policemen made a PCR call and local police arrived at the spot. The three policemen were taken to Bawana police station. A medical examination was conducted on them and they were later questioned. Sources said police suspect an insider role and have initiated a probe into the incident.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Dheeraj Kumar, who is in-charge of the Third Batallion, said head constable Karambir and constable Sitaram have been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been initiated.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikramjeet Singh said, “Prima facie, we cannot say who was at fault. But we are investigating all aspects of the case. If the policemen were at fault, they will be arrested. We are also making all efforts to trace Dabas.”
Share
