Escape from lockup: Chandigarh SHO shunted out, 2 women cops suspended

A day after a thief escaped from the lockup at the police station in Sector 39, the Chandigarh Police on Wednesday shunted out the station house officer and suspended two women cops who were on night duty.

Meanwhile, efforts are on to trace and arrest the accused, who had slipped through rusted bars of the lockup in the wee hours of Tuesday.

“Such kind of negligence in duty cannot be tolerated. The SHO (inspector Ashok Kumar) has been transferred and sent to the police lines, while the staff found negligent has been suspended,” said Kuldeep Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Chandigarh.

Those suspended are assistant sub-inspector Birmati, who was the night munshi, and constable Geeta, who was on the women desk.

Sources said that the preliminary inquiry found the two women cops were missing from duty. However, a home guard volunteer, who was posted on guard duty at the entrance, was alert, they said.

Meanwhile, inspector Juldan Singh, posted in the security wing, has been moved to the police station as the SHO.

Escaped from rear door

Divesh Gupta, 27, was arrested on Monday for allegedly committing a string of thefts of costly bicycles in southern sectors. He was produced in court and remanded to one-day police custody, during which he was sent to the police station in Sector 39 for questioning.

Sources privy to investigation said Gupta managed to slip through the rusted bars of the lockup past midnight. Two rods were bent and as the cement on the floor was loose, it facilitated his escape.

Footage of the CCTV camera installed to keep an eye on the lockup is blurry, but footage of another camera shows the shadow of a person escaping from the rear door of the station, it is learnt.

With both women cops missing from duty, and the home guard volunteer stationed at the entrance, Gupta managed to escape without being noticed, said a police official.

There are about 10 cops deployed on duty at night. The escape came to light when an investigating officer returned to the police station along with a constable after visiting a night spot, and noticed that Gupta’s shoes were missing.

On checking the lockup, they found him missing. Police teams are raiding various possible hideouts of the accused, but had failed to trace him till the filing of this report.