PUNE 3 officials of Warje police station suspended for security lapse as rape accused escapes custody

PUNE : Three officials of Warje police station were suspended a week after a child sexual assault accused escaped from the police station in the small hours as one guard was asleep and two were absent on duty.

The incident took place on September 20 (Monday).

The three officials have been identified as Sambhaji Gaikwad, Mahesh Dhotre, and Vishal Kadam, according to the inquiry conducted by an assistant commissioner of police.

'The scale of the guard duty is 3 for 1. So one of them was asleep on duty and two others were not present. So they are now under suspension. They get a fourth of their pay, a preliminary enquiry is initiated, and based on if the accusations are proved, the departmental proceedings will be initiated against them,' said deputy commissioner of police of Zone



3, Pornima Gaikwad.

The accused man was arrested for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl and her mother had lodged a complaint against the man. He was arrested in a drunken state on September 19 after a search was launched for him and put in the evidence room at Warje Malwadi police station.

He had walked out of the police station in the early hours of the next day, without any resistance, while the police on duty had dozed off.

A case was registered against him under Section 224 of the Indian Penal Code.

Gaikwad had ordered an inquiry in the incident to find out where the security lapse had been.

However, the absence raised serious questions about the ignorance of the security protocol by the officials on duty.