Ludhiana death row convict escapes from hospital after slipping out of cuffs

The convict was brought from Ludhiana Central Jail after complaining of abdominal pain; fled after asking to be taken to the toilet

A death row convict, lodged in the Ludhiana Central Jail, escaped from the emergency wing of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, on Tuesday night, exposing major lapses in prison security.

Convicted of raping and murdering a four-year-old girl, Sonu Singh, 29, managed to slip out of the handcuffs, pushed a jail warden and easily fled the hospital premises on foot (HT)

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Convicted of raping and murdering a four-year-old girl, Sonu Singh, 29, managed to slip out of the handcuffs, pushed a jail warden and easily fled the hospital premises on foot before the Punjab Police officials accompanying him could react.

According to police, the convict, hailing from Tasai in Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh, had been undergoing psychiatric assessment at the hospital for some time.

On Tuesday, he complained of severe abdominal pain at the Ludhiana Central Jail. After his condition did not improve despite initial treatment, jail doctors referred him to GMCH-32.

Sonu was then brought to Chandigarh in a Punjab government Mahindra Bolero vehicle, under the escort of three jail officials — head constable Lakhwinder Singh, warden Malkit Singh and driver Balwant Singh. Upon arrival at the hospital around 8.30 pm, the convict was admitted in the emergency ward for observation.

As per the statement of warden Malkit Singh, 46, around 11:45 pm, the convict requested to be taken to the bathroom to relieve himself.

“I was accompanying him while another officer went to the doctors with his medical file. As we approached the toilet, Sonu suddenly twisted his hand free from the handcuff and pushed me. I fell down and before I could regain balance, he disappeared into the crowd,” the warden stated in his complaint.

The warden raised the alarm, but the convict managed to vanish among the crowd of attendants and patients before any staff or security personnel could stop him. Unable to trace him, the police officials informed senior officers, who responded to the scene with their Chandigarh counterparts. However, the convict managed to evade capture.

A case under Section 261 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at the Sector 34 police station based on the complaint of the warden. The authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the hospital and nearby areas to trace the direction in which the convict fled.

As of Thursday night, no breakthrough had been achieved, and search teams continue to scan the city and adjoining areas. Police suspect that the convict planned the escape during one of his earlier hospital visits.

Awarded death for raping, murdering 4-yr-old in Ludhiana

In March this year, a Ludhiana court had awarded the death penalty to Sonu Singh for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in December 2023.

Singh had executed the crime after luring the child with a chocolate and dumped the body in a bed box at the house of his relatives. He was arrested 20 days later from his native, Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh.

In its judgment, the court had described the crime as “rarest of rare” and stated that the accused’s actions were depraved and deserved only one sentence — death. The court observed that the victim was an innocent child, and that the crime had shocked the conscience of society.

The autopsy report had confirmed that the child died due to asphyxia caused by throttling, and that there were signs of forced penetration. The DNA of the accused had also matched with the vaginal swabs of the victim.

The court had sentenced Singh to death under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. The court had also imposed a fine of ₹5.5 lakh on Singh and ordered compensation of ₹10 lakh to the victim’s family.