E-Paper
Jail inmate accused in ₹2.14 crore drug haul case escapes from Sassoon Hospital
he escape from the hospital right under the nose of policemen and hospital authorities has put a serious question mark over the ability and intention of the cops on guard duty for the prisoner
Pune: A jail inmate from Yerawada Central Jail who was admitted at ward number 16 in Sassoon General Hospital managed to give a slip to the authorities on Monday night.
The escape from the hospital right under the nose of policemen and hospital authorities has put a serious question mark over the ability and intention of the cops on guard duty for the prisoner.
The prisoner has been identified as Lalit Anil Patil (34) and was accused of indulging in illicit narcotics sale for which an FIR was lodged against him two days ago. Patil, an accused in a drug trafficking case, was first incarcerated in Yerawada Central Jail in October 2020 and later admitted to the hospital for “treatment” from where he allegedly ran a drug trafficking business from his hospital ward with the help of an aide and a canteen staffer.
The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) on Saturday laid a trap near Sassoon hospital and arrested the aide who was found carrying 1.71 kg and 53 milligrams of mephedrone worth ₹2.14 crore in the market.
The police also seized two iPhones while searching Patil’s hospital ward and have identified the suspected aide as Subhash Janaki Mandal (29) of Dehu Road and originally a native of Jharkhand.
The investigation has revealed that Patil, a resident of Nashik, who was admitted for treatment, supplied the contraband to Mandal through Rauf Rahim Shaikh (19) who works as a waiter at the hospital canteen.
