Thane police have suspended six personnel from an escort team after an undertrial prisoner, 32-year-old Salamat Ali Ansari accused of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl escaped from the Bhiwandi court premises.
Ansari was brought to court from Thane jail for a hearing on August 4, along with four other accused. According to police, he allegedly took advantage of the crowd outside the court and managed to flee.
Two Accused Flee Custody
The suspended constables Amol Balaso Tarde, Motiram Datta Thebare, Datta Babanrao Sarkate, Deepak Shivdas Ingale, Vikas Premrao Chate, and Sangita Ashok Chokhande were all posted at the Thane Police Headquarters.
An order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (HQ-2) stated that the officers were assigned to escort and produce the undertrial in court. However, they were found negligent in performing their duties, as they failed to keep close watch over the accused and were not alert during the operation.
“This negligence amounts to carelessness toward their assigned responsibilities and constitutes a violation of various provisions under the Maharashtra Police Act and departmental regulations,” the order stated.
Search Operations Intensified
Despite nine days of extensive search operations, Ansari remains untraceable. His photograph has been circulated across railway stations and public transport offices in Maharashtra.
Police have appealed to the public for assistance in locating the accused and announced a reward of ₹10,000 for any credible information.
Ansari, who is undertrial in the 2023 rape and murder case of a minor girl in Bhiwandi, escaped police custody on Monday (August 4) while being escorted by a Thane police team.
Senior Police Inspector Vinayak Gaikwad confirmed to The Free Press Journal that the six constables were suspended for negligence in carrying out their assigned responsibilities.
