In what appears to be a case of negligence from the police, a 24-year-old prisoner who was being taken to the Cherlapally Central Prison in Hyderabad after a court hearing, jumped out of a moving vehicle and escaped from police custody on Thursday near Kushaiguda.
The accused has been identified as Mitapally Laxman alias Vijay, who was said to be hailing from Nirmal district and had settled in Secunderabad. He was being brought back to the prison from Mahbubnagar after attending a hearing at a local court over there, at around 7:30 pm, when the incident took place. Laxman was said to have many theft cases booked against him and was said to be a repeat offender.
"The accused was sitting on the window side of the police vehicle. He managed to unlock the handcuffs, open the door and jumped out of the vehicle,” Kushaiguda sub-inspector D Srinivas was quoted as saying.
The police said that the accused managed to escape as it was dark, despite being chased by two constables. Authorities are now looking at CCTV footage and hope to nab Laxman soon.
"A case has been registered against the CAR head constable and a police constable for being negligent while transporting the prisoner. Departmental action will also be initiated against the two escort police personnel from the Rachakonda police. A team has been formed to search for Laxman," Kushaiguda ACP K. Shiva Kumar was quoted as saying.
The case in the Kushaiguda police station was registered under Section 224 (Resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. In April 2017, A British national, who was an undertrial prisoner in a fake passport case in Hyderabad and Delhi, escaped from police custody at the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi.
Mohammed Ali Ege, a resident of Aghapura in Hyderabad, who was wanted in a murder case in the United Kingdom, that happened seven years ago, was lodged in the Cherlapally prison. He was taken to the capital to be produced before the Patiala court in New Delhi for a hearing, but escaped while he was being brought back.