AHMEDABAD: A drug peddler being escorted by Kerala Police to Delhi dramatically escaped from custody at Gujarat’s Vadodara railway station after allegedly pushing two policemen and disappearing from the Rajdhani Express in the middle of the night.
Despite a massive search operation across railway stations, the accused is untraceable.
The accused has been identified as 36-year-old Mohammad Hanifa Abubakar, a resident of Kozhikode, Kerala, who was arrested in a narcotics-related case registered under the NDPS Act.
According to the complaint lodged at the Vadodara Railway Police Station, the police team boarded the Rajdhani Express from Kozhikode railway station on May 22 to take the accused to Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi.
The train halted briefly at Vadodara station on May 23. At around 12:30 am, the accused sought permission to use the washroom. Police Head Constables Binoy and Anish escorted him to the toilet area.
After returning from the washroom, Hanifa stood near the washbasin pretending to wash his hands. Within seconds, he allegedly shoved both policemen forcefully in the chest, catching them completely off guard.
The impact caused Head Constable Binoy to fall to the ground, while the accused seized the brief window of confusion to sprint towards coach B/4 before disappearing from sight.
As panic spread inside the moving train, Head Constable Anish immediately chased the accused through the coaches, while injured officer Binoy alerted the rest of the escort team. A frantic search operation was launched.
The train staff were informed immediately, and surveillance checks were initiated. However, despite repeated searches, the accused could not be located.