Undertrial escapes police custody in Karnal, three cops suspended

ACCUSED MANAGED TO FLEE FROM CUSTODY ON SUNDAY, WHEN HE WAS BEING WAS TAKEN FOR A MEDICAL CHECK-UP AT THE CIVIL HOSPITAL

KARNAL: Hours before the visit of Haryana director general of police KP Singh to Karnal, the negligence o te part of cops in the chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s city came to the fore once again as an undertrial, booked under the NDPS Act, managed to flee from the police custody.

Karnal superintendent of police (SP) Pankaj Nain suspended three cops -- ASI Vijay Kumar, head constable Ramphal and Constable Prem Singh. They have also been booked for negligence in duty under Section 223 and 224 of the IPC. They were posted at Manglora police post of the Karnal district.

Sources said the Karnal police had arrested two people on July 23 and seized two quintals of poppy husk from a car they were travelling in.

The accused were identified as Soni and Sunny of Sangrur district of Punjab and the police booked them under the NDPS Act. They were sent on two-days judicial remand by a local court, but Soni, managed to flee from the police custody on Sunday, when he being was taken for a medical check-up at the civil hospital.

The SP said, “Three cops have been suspended and two other police officials, Manglora police post in-charge Bahadur Singh and Madhuban police station in-charge Subhash Kumar have been given show cause notice for negligence in duty. He said the departmental action had been ordered against them.

This is not for the first time when an accused has fled from the custody of the Karnal police.

Four cops of the Karnal police had been suspended in April for negligence in the duty after a gangster of Mukeem Kala gang managed to flee from their custody in filmy style, when they were taking him for hearing at Kairana court in Uttar Pradesh.

Last month also, eight officials of the district police had been suspended by the SP for negligence in duty and consuming liquor during duty hours in Karnal, which is the constituency of chief minister Khattar.

Of the eight suspended cops, five were reportedly found drinking liquor during duty hours inside the Sadar police station of Karnal.