Raj Sadosh/Abohar.
A prisoner charged under the NDPS Act managed to escape this evening from the prisoner ward at the District Hospital, Sriganganagar. Only one constable was on duty in the ward at the time. The prisoner even attempted to strangle the constable using an electrical wire.
Police sources said that the only prisoner in the ward was Gaurav of Purani Abadi, who had been brought from the Central Jail around 11:15 AM today due to illness. Head Constable Ramesh Chandra, Constable Duli Chand, and another constable were on duty in the prisoner ward. Ramesh Chandra left the immediate area to speak with a visiting relative. Meanwhile, the second constable went to fetch milk for tea, leaving only Constable Duli Chand in the ward.
Police claim that Gaurav, being slim, managed to slip his hand out of the handcuffs. He picked up a piece of electrical wire and attempted to strangle Constable Duli Chand, who was lying down due to illness. Duli Chand sustained injuries. Gaurav then tried to break the bars of the window housing the air conditioner but failed. He eventually succeeded in escaping by removing the wall-mounted exhaust fan and climbing out through the opening.
His escape was discovered when Ramesh Chandra and the other constable returned to the ward around 4:45 PM. Duli Chand was found injured and was immediately rushed to the hospital’s emergency ward for treatment. Senior police officials were informed of Gaurav’s escape; they visited the scene to gather details of the incident. Meanwhile, Ramesh Chandra and several other police personnel were deployed to search for Gaurav. The hospital is equipped with numerous CCTV cameras, their footage is being examined