NEW DELHI: An accused in a Punjab rape case gave a slip to authorities after being taken into immigration custody on his arrival from Bahrain at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here, officials said Monday.
While the police alleged that the accused escaped from the custody of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the CISF claimed he was never handed over to them by the Immigration department.
The accused, Amandeep Singh, a native of Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab had arrived at the airport from the Gulf country on an Air India flight on December 20 at 4.55 am.
Singh was stopped at the immigration department as a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at the airport, a Delhi Police officer said quoting from the FIR lodged by the Immigration department at IGI airport police station.
Singh, accused in a rape case lodged in Punjab's Ludhiana, was on the run since April 2020, the officer informed.
According to the FIR, the Immigration department had handed over the accused to the CISF, which has the responsibility to look after airport security.
"The CISF personnel were on the way to handing him over to the Delhi Police when he fled from their custody by jumping from counter number 33 in the arrival section of the immigration department at about 10 am," another officer said.
One of the officers escorting Singh had gone to the washroom when the accused escaped, the officer added.
According to the FIR, "Singh was in the custody of CISF staff on duty. Now it has been learnt that he escaped from custody at 10: 00 hours while CISF guard went for washroom around 09: 57 hours."
"... Singh exited the arrival immigration area illegally by jumping the counter number 33 gate (Indian Side). Thus Singh cheated Indian Immigration by illegally escaping from the arrival Immigration area. Therefore, a case may be registered against him under relevant sections of law," FIR stated.
According to another Delhi police officer, the CCTV footage showed that Singh easily walked away from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 after coming out of the Immigration area. He was later seen coming out from one of the exit gates of T2.
The Delhi police officer said it all happened within a few minutes. He walked about 200 metres to reach the exit gate.
The police said a case under section 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) of the Indian Penal Code has been lodged at the IGI Airport police station in connection with the incident.
The CISF, however, countered the claim and denied any lapse by its personnel.
It said that on December 21 it was intimated to them that Singh had mistakenly skipped from arrival Immigration and exited from Terminal Building at about 9. 59 am.
"It is pertinent to mention that no entry details were made regarding the LOC pax (Singh) by Immigration officials in the register at arrival," CISF chief spokesperson Shrikant Kishore said.
He said that as the accused was not in CISF custody, this incident cannot be called a lapse on its part.
An internal inquiry has been initiated into the incident by central security agencies, the sources said.
Delhi Police said they are checking under what circumstances Singh escaped from the airport.
The Punjab Police has also been informed about the matter. Several teams have been formed to nab the accused, police said.