Mira Bhayandar: In a major embarrassment for the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police, a 27-year-old man taken into custody for his alleged involvement in a spate of cycle theft cases escaped from the custody of the central crime branch unit during the early hours of Monday. The incident was reported from the office of the crime branch unit located in the MBVV crime branch building in the Kanakia area of Mira Road at around 1:30 am on Monday. The accused, identified as Ali (27), was handcuffed and escorted by two police personnel to the crime branch office for investigations.
Special teams formed to nab accused
However, when one of the personnel went out to bring dinner, Ali took the opportunity and apparently managed to wriggle his hands out of the handcuffs. He then mounted a violent assault on Jai Kumar Rathod with a rod and escaped from custody. Rathod, who sustained severe head injuries, was rushed to a private hospital where his condition is said to be critical.
Efforts to apprehend him continued late into the evening but were futile. "Special teams have been deployed to track the accused, and he will be arrested soon," said a senior police official. It may be recalled that a 30-year-old thief had outwitted on-duty cops by escaping from the lock-up of Naya Nagar police station in Mira Road under the pretext of visiting the toilet, barely a few hours after his arrest on January 25, 2021. He was re-arrested a month later in February.