Mumbai: Out on parole, criminal goes missing; Mira Bhayandar cops on lookout

The Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have booked a dreaded criminal on charges of jumping emergency “COVID Parole”. The last known address of the convict who has been identified as-Sachin Gajanand Shethe (42)- is located in the Parshwa Nagar area of Mira Road.

Personnel attached to the central prisons department (Yerwada) in Pune filed a complaint in this regard with the Naya Nagar police station in Mira Road on Thursday.

Serving life sentence in the Yerwada Central Jail, Shethe was among several other prisoners who were convicted of various serious criminal offences and were allowed to go home on COVID emergency parole during the deadly pandemic.

Shethe, whose 210 day granted parole and subsequent extensions had come to an end, was supposed to report back on 3, October, 2022. However, he not only failed to return back to jail, but allegedly went off the police radar.

Based on the complaint registered by head constable Digamber Dubey on behalf of the central police department, the Mira Road police registered an offence under section 224 for resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension, of the Indian Penal Code against the absconding convict.

The prison department had released hundreds of convicts lodged across various prisons in the state on emergency COVID parole during the initial phase of the pandemic. However, many failed to report back to their respective jail.