AHMEDABAD: A 21-year-old robbery accused allegedly escaped from the Jahangirpura Police Station lock-up in Gujarat’s Surat City within four minutes in the early hours of October 20, exposing a serious security lapse.
Pradeep alias ‘Jadio’ Jagdishbhai Patil, who was in police remand, reportedly manipulated the lock-up door and fled unnoticed. However, after launching a citywide search and setting up checkpoints, police tracked him down and apprehended him in the Varachha area of Surat City.
A four-minute escape has put the security arrangements at Gujarat’s Surat City’s Jahangirpura Police Station under scrutiny after a robbery accused slipped out of police custody in the early hours of Monday.
The accused, Pradeep alias ‘Jadio’ Jagdishbhai Patil, 21, allegedly exploited a lapse in surveillance to break out of the lock-up while in police remand, triggering panic among personnel on duty.
According to the complaint, the escape unfolded between 3.21 am and 3.25 am on October 20. During this brief window, Patil allegedly used a ruse to open the lock-up door and walked out without attracting the attention of the police personnel responsible for guarding him.
Consequently, the escape raised immediate questions about how an accused facing serious criminal charges could leave a police station lock-up undetected.
However, the fugitive’s freedom proved short-lived. After discovering the escape, police launched a search operation across Surat and established checkpoints at various locations to intercept him. Acting on intelligence inputs and surveillance, the police traced Patil to the Varachha area, where he was eventually apprehended.
The incident has now triggered a fresh criminal case, adding another charge to the accused’s existing legal troubles. Assistant Sub-Inspector Arvind of Jahangirpura Police Station lodged a written complaint at Rander Police Station following the escape.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 262 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with escaping from lawful custody or resisting lawful apprehension.
Meanwhile, Patil was already facing serious allegations involving robbery, the use of deadly weapons and causing bodily harm. The original case, registered at Jahangirpura Police Station, invoked BNS Sections 309(4), 309(6), 311 and 3(5), along with Section 135(1) of the Gujarat Police Act.
These provisions relate to robbery, causing hurt during robbery, robbery involving deadly weapons, common intention and violating restrictions on carrying weapons.
His escape from custody has therefore added a fresh dimension to the investigation, which was already centred on serious alleged offences. Although police managed to recapture him, the circumstances surrounding his brief disappearance remain crucial to establishing how the lock-up breach occurred.
A Police Sub-Inspector has been assigned to investigate the escape case. The probe will examine the circumstances that allowed Patil to leave custody and the sequence of events leading to his recapture.
