Team Herald
MAPUSA: Hemraj Bharadwaj, an undertrial, who was arrested by the Pernem Police in a NDPS case in January 2020, escaped from the Colvale Central Jail on Tuesday.
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According to sources, the incident occurred when Bharadwaj and three other accused were assigned the duty to dispose of garbage. Accordingly, two convicts and two undertrials including Bharadwaj under the supervision of main jail guard Prakash Naik came out from the main gate to the outer gate and began segregating the waste. While segregating the waste, Bharadwaj made an excuse that he wants to answer nature’s call and took advantage of the vegetation around the jail premises and fled.
When jail guard Naik, who was on duty, did not notice Bharadwaj around, he raised an alarm. The jail authorities later went out searching for him.
Mapusa Police was informed and a police team comprising of DySP Gajanan Prabhudesai, PI Tushar Lotlikar, PSIs and constables rushed to spot. However, they could not locate him.
In the evening, jailor Umesh Naik filed a complaint at Mapusa Police Station and an offence under Section 224 of IPC has been registered.
Meanwhile, the Prisons Department has suspended the jail guard Prakash Naik pending inquiry.
