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Covid positive prisoner who fled police custody arrested again
A month after a 33-year-old man escaped from Delhi police’s custody while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a city hospital, police on Friday claimed that the man had been tracked and rearrested.
A month after a 33-year-old man escaped from Delhi police’s custody while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a city hospital, police on Friday claimed that the man had been tracked and rearrested.
The man, investigators said, is involved in multiple cases of murders, attempts to murder, robbery, dacoity and kidnappings. The suspect is even said to have opened fire at the police party that had gone to arrest him on Friday, senior officers said.
The arrested man was identified as Soni alias Mehtab, a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Police have recovered a semi-automatic pistol from his possession.
According to the police, Mehtab had escaped from custody on September 18 from LNJP hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for Covid-19. Police said, after fleeing, Mehtab had been living in a rented house in Sonia Vihar.
Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said since his escape, police had been conducting raids at all of Mehtab’s possible hideouts. “On Thursday, we received information that he will come to Khajuri Khas to meet his associate. A raid was conducted at 7.30 am and he was asked to surrender. but he took out a pistol and opened fire at the police. He was later overpowered and arrested. No one was injured in the firing,” Kushwah said.
Police said Mentab had on September 14 been arrested in case of theft at Rajiv Chowk Metro police station and was sent to Tihar, where he tested positive for Covid-19. He was then admitted to LNJP hospital in police custody from where he escaped on the pretext of going to the toilet. He jumped out of a window into the shaft and fled, police said.
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