E-Paper
Accused escapes from Bund Garden police station, nabbed hours later in Tingre Nagar
In the early hours of Sunday, Vaibhav Khot allegedly freed one hand from the handcuffs and slipped away from the police station, prompting an immediate search operation.
Pune: An accused who escaped from the Bund Garden police station after slipping one hand out of his handcuffs on Sunday was arrested a few hours later from Tingre Nagar following a citywide search.
According to the police, the accused, Vaibhav Khot, a Tingre Nagar resident, was arrested Saturday in connection with a theft case registered under Section 381 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). As lock-ups at several police stations were full, he was lodged at the Bund Garden police station.
In the early hours of Sunday, Khot allegedly freed one hand from the handcuffs and slipped away from the police station, prompting an immediate search operation.
Senior police officers were alerted and multiple teams were deployed to trace him. Investigators examined CCTV footage, gathered technical inputs and alerted patrol units across the city.
Acting on a tip-off, police traced Khot to Tingre Nagar and arrested him around noon without any resistance. He was subsequently brought back to the police station.
Santosh Pandhare, senior inspector at Bund Garden police station, said, “The accused was arrested on Saturday in connection with a ‘theft by servant’ case registered in June. Soon after he escaped from custody, police launched a search operation and arrested him from Tingre Nagar.”
The incident has raised questions about security arrangements while handling accused persons in police custody. Senior officers are expected to conduct an internal inquiry into how the accused managed to escape.
Police said Khot will also face legal action for escaping from lawful custody, in addition to the charges in the original case. Further investigation is underway.
