Gurugram: 3 cops held for 'helping' 2 inmates escape

GURUGRAM: Three policemen have been arrested for allegedly helping two prisoners under their custody to escape on Monday evening.
The three guards of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) were assigned the responsibility of taking the two prisoners to Delhi's LNJP hospital for a medical check-up. The two - who were lodged in Bhondsi jail - were identified as Abhijeet from UP and Rakesh from Ballabhgarh. They had been arrested on charges of rape and robbery, respectively.

Police said preliminary investigation had revealed that the three cops and the two accused got down from the police vehicle at the traffic signal of Sector 56 and boarded a private car to go to the hospital in Delhi. After their health check was done, they did not return to the jail, but headed for a hotel in Sector 38 in Gurugram .
At the hotel, the cops and the accused were joined by two men - Arvind, a resident of Jhalsa village, and Ajay Jakhar, who was from Naharpur Rupa. The two gave the accused the keys to their scooter.
"We have come to know that Arvind and Ajay came in a scooter and gave the keys to the two accused. The two used the scooter to escape. They are still on the run," ACP (crime) Preet Pal Sangwan said.
At the hotel, all the men sat at a table and had food and drinks, the police have learnt. That the escape had been planned in advance is clear from the fact that CCTV cameras at the hotel were all switched off for the time being, the police said.
It was around 5pm on Monday that the authorities at Bhondsi jail received information that the two had escaped. The three cops reached the jail around 7pm and allegedly cooked up a story about how the two accused overpowered them and escaped.
"They obviously did not tell us the truth. Only after we started an investigation did we come to know about their role in the escape. The three cops are being questioned," said ACP Sangwan.
The three cops have been identified as head constable Nishu and constables Anil Kumar and Naveen. They were remanded in a day's police custody on Tuesday.
The two men who allegedly provided the keys to their scooter to the accused and the owner of the hotel have also been arrested. The police expressed hope that the two would be arrested soon.
An FIR has been lodged at Sadar police station under sections 222 (public servant disobeying a direction of law), 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension), 225 (omission to apprehend), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. "We have formed teams and are launching searches at various places," an officer said.