9 cops suspended after drug haul accused escapes from Sassoon hospital

According to the preliminary probe, Patil was last seen at Zilla Parishad Chowk on Monday night as he was dropped by someone in a car at Bund Garden area and took an autorickshaw for his further travel

Pune: Pune police commissioner on Tuesday suspended nine police personnel, including an assistant inspector, over alleged negligence after an undertrial escaped from Sassoon General Hospital on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the city police have formed 10 crime branch teams to nab Patil. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

Lalit Patil (34), an undertrial inmate accused in drug haul case, slipped away from police security from the hospital on Monday.

The suspended cops include assistant police inspector Ramesh Janardan Kale, sub-inspector Mohini Dongre, head constable Adesh Sitaram Shivankar, constables Vishal Baburao Topale, Swapnil Chintaman Shinde, Digambar Vijay Chandanshiv, Navnath Bharat Kale, Pirappa Dattu Bansode, Amit Auresh Jadhav and police naik Natharam Bharat Kale.

A senior police official said, “Preliminary inquiry found that the cops were negligent while discharging duty. Hence, they have been suspended.”

Meanwhile, the city police have formed 10 crime branch teams to nab Patil.

According to the police officials, Patil was admitted at ward number 16 of the hospital since last four months for the treatment of ulcer, tuberculosis and hernia. While ulcer can be treated within a week’s time, any major surgery and post operative care takes around a month for patient to recover.

Amol Zende, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said, “Apart from crime branch teams, local police stations have also initiated a search of the accused. Once nabbed, Patil will be produced in court as he was in judicial custody before his escape. We will seek his police custody for further investigation.”

According to the preliminary probe, Patil was last seen at Zilla Parishad Chowk on Monday night as he was dropped by someone in a car at Bund Garden area and took an autorickshaw for his further travel. Non-functional CCTV cameras in the locality has hit the efforts of the police to nab the accused.

According to the crime branch officials, teams are deployed to Nashik, Ahmednagar, Karjat, and nearby areas to arrest the accused.

The anti-narcotics unit 2 of the Pune city police busted a drug racket by arresting two persons near Sassoon General Hospital in Pune on Sunday. The police seized 1.71 kg and 53 milligrams of mephedrone worth ₹2.14 crore in the market from their possession.

According to the police, Patil, the prime accused admitted in Sassoon hospital, had given the drugs to Subhash Mandal via accused Rauf Sheikh who was working at the hospital’s canteen.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad police in October 2020 busted a drug racket in Chakan by arresting 21 people involved in the production and sale of MD weighing at least 150 kg. The arrested included Patil who was lodged at Yerawada jail. Mandal was Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) accused in a robbery case registered at Rajgad Police Station in 2017.

Meanwhile, the Bund Garden police have filed a case under Section 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).