Gurgaon: 2 cops removed, 3 teams set up to nab suspect on the run

Three police teams have been constituted to track a criminal, who escaped from the custody of Bilaspur crime unit of Gurgaon police on Thursday.

A team from city crime branch and others from Bilaspur police station and crime unit are on the lookout for Shahid alias Advani, a dreaded criminal and a key suspect in recent series of ATM thefts across Gurgaon in last six months. Advani has 15 cases registered against him in Tauru, Gurgaon, Rewari and neighbouring Bhiwadi, and is a known criminal in Mewat.

While the sleuths have launched a manhunt for Shahid, the city police suspended two police officers, ASI Sanjeev Kumar and head constable Ram Kumar, in connection with the escape. A departmental inquiry has also been instituted to probe the negligence that led to his escape. Advani was to be produced in court on March 10 in connection with a truck loot in Pataudi.

Gurgaon police was questioning Advani in connection with the recent ATM thefts, as he had earlier been involved in such kind of heists. Further, the police in Tauru found three burnt skeletons of cash vending machines in the area, further raising suspicion that there was some connection between gangs operating in the area and the ATM thefts.

Read I Gurgaon: Wanted criminal flees crime branch custody

Gurgaon has reported 14 ATM thefts since December last year, with large amount of money being stolen from the cash dispensing machines. The wave of ATM thefts had rattled the police.

City police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar had, in fact, warned station house officers (SHOs) that they would be held accountable if the ATM heists continued.

Although the city police is on the back foot due to his escape, officers asserted that they would nab him soon. They said that a police took great pains to arrest him from Kharkhari, his native village, last week.

“It was a mistake that led to his escape, but such things do happen. We have instituted an inquiry to know what happened. However, Advani would be nabbed soon, as earlier also, the same team arrested him,” Ashok Bakshi, DCP, south, said.