Escape of Undertrial: Kharghar Police Launch Manhunt in Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai, 10th June 2024: In Navi Mumbai, the Kharghar police are currently seeking a 28-year-old undertrial who escaped from the custody of Shirur police while he was en route to Taloja jail. The incident occurred in Kharghar on a recent Wednesday night as Mujahid Gulzar Khan was being transported from Shirur court to Taloja Jail. Khan requested the vehicle to stop under the guise of needing to relieve himself.

Khan, accompanied by his associates Raju Farat Sheikh (26) and Imran Shahid Sheikh (24), was implicated in offences involving robbery and burglary in the Shirur region of Pune. The trio was already detained in Taloja jail as undertrials for another case. Consequently, the police took custody of them on June 1 and held them until June 5.

On June 5, the accused were once again presented before a first-class Shirur magistrate who ordered them into judicial custody, after which they were to be transferred back to Taloja jail. In the absence of a government vehicle, the complainant, Police sub-inspector Eknath Baban Patil from Shirur police station, decided to transport the accused in his car.

Due to limited space, the three accused sat in the back seat while Patil drove, with another constable named Vicky Yadav seated next to him. Around 9:00 pm, as they approached Hyde Park Society in Kharghar, Khan began complaining of severe stomach pain, demanding the vehicle to halt so he could relieve himself.

While Patil remained in the car with the other two suspects, Yadav accompanied Khan to a nearby nullah. Exploiting the darkness, Khan, under the pretext of answering nature’s call, leapt over the nullah and absconded. Yadav attempted to pursue but fell, sustaining injuries and failing to apprehend Khan.

Subsequently, the Kharghar police filed a case under section 224 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension) of the IPC. A police officer from Kharghar police station mentioned, “We are actively searching for the fugitive. Upon recapture, he will be brought back to court to face charges in this matter.”