Amid high drama, NDPS accused flees cop custody

RAJKOT: It was a pandemonium of the highest order in the Junagadh government hospital on Thursday morning with a mob gathering at the campus, raising slogans along with self-immolation bid — all happening at the same time. In the ensuing melee, a man accused of drugs smuggling found the atmosphere conducive to give cops the slip.
Junagadh police registered an offence against at least a dozen persons, most of them family members of the escaped accused Sagar Rathod. Several teams have started search for the absconding offender who is accused in case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
According to case details, Sagar had come out of jail last month on interim bail for seven days. But he jumped parole and a lookout notice was issued for him. Meanwhile, the police got a tip-off that Sagar was hiding at his relative Kajal Rathod’s place. When police raided the place on Thursday, Sagar tried to escape but got hurt.
He was taken to a private hospital, where he refused treatment and insisted that he be taken to the government hospital. Cops, therefore, shifted him to the Junagadh government hospital. As soon as the cops reached the hospital, a group of over a dozen people including Sagar’s mother, grandmother, and other relatives reached the hospital campus.
Seeing his people around, Sagar started shouting at the top of his lungs that he has been framed in the case and that the police were torturing him. While cops were trying to calm Sagar, his kin Akash took out a bottle of petrol and tried to splash it on himself while a few other cops tried to stop Akash.
In the melee, Sagar sneaked out and escaped on a motorcycle. The cops chased Sagar but lost him. Following the incident, four people were detained for questioning by the Junagadh local crime branch that took over the investigation.
An offence was registered against Sagar and dozen others, mostly Sagar’s kin. They were booked for helping a criminal escape from custody, obstruction of duty and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).