Inmates who fled from custody held from Mathura

Gurugram: Police on Wednesday night arrested two inmates from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, after they escaped from police custody in Gurugram on Monday (May 30) afternoon, said officials on Thursday

Gurugram: Police on Wednesday night arrested two inmates from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, after they escaped from police custody in Gurugram on Monday (May 30) afternoon, said officials on Thursday. The inmates, lodged in Bhondsi jail, were accused of rape and robbery.

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According to the police, the inmates — Abhijeet Kumar and Rakesh Kumar, from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur and Haryana’s Ballabhgarh, respectively — were taken to LNJP hospital in Delhi on Monday, and they escaped while returning to the prison from there.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that in a bid to mislead police, both the suspects kept changing their locations, but were traced to a hotel in Mathura on Monday night with the help of technical and human surveillance. “They were taken to the hospital in a police vehicle in presence of three escort guards, but they convinced the officials to have food at a guest house in Sector 38. Later, the suspects told the officials that they wanted to talk to someone there and would return in five minutes,” Sangwan said.

Sangwan said the duo took the three policemen in confidence and fled from the guest house on a scooter two of their associates — Arvind (goes by first name) and Ajay Jakhar — had brought there, as planned. The duo travelled to Sikandrabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on the scooter, stayed there for a day, and were driving towards Mathura when they were arrested.

Police said eight people — head constables Nishu and Anil Kumar, constable Naveen, guest house owner Nitin Bhardwaj, both the inmates and their two associates — have been arrested so far.

Harinder Singh, superintendent of Bhondsi jail, said that Abhijeet has been lodged in the jail since December 10 last year. “He has been undergoing treatment for gangrene scrotum. He was operated for gangrene scrotum at PGIMS Rohtak in September 2021, and also had a plastic surgery in Gorakhpur in November last year. He was initially referred to PGIMS Rohtak, and then to Delhi LNJP for further treatment,” Singh said.

Rakesh was convicted in two cases, acquitted in one, and has pending trials in two more cases, said Singh, adding that he has been lodged in the jail since September 29, 2018. He goes to LNJP hospital for regular followup for various chest-related issues and a suspected case of tuberculosis.