Surat robbery accused escapes lock-up in four minutes, rearrested in Varachha

AHMEDABAD: A 21-year-old robbery accused allegedly escaped from the Jahangirpura Police Station lock-up in Gujarat’s Surat City within four minutes in the early hours of October 20, exposing a serious security lapse. Pradeep alias ‘Jadio’ Jagdishbhai Patil, who was in police remand, reportedly manipulated the lock-up door and fled unnoticed. However, after launching a citywide search and setting up checkpoints, police tracked him down and apprehended him in the Varachha area of Surat City.

A four-minute escape has put the security arrangements at Gujarat’s Surat City’s Jahangirpura Police Station under scrutiny after a robbery accused slipped out of police custody in the early hours of Monday. The accused, Pradeep alias ‘Jadio’ Jagdishbhai Patil, 21, allegedly exploited a lapse in surveillance to break out of the lock-up while in police remand, triggering panic among personnel on duty.

According to the complaint, the escape unfolded between 3.21 am and 3.25 am on October 20. During this brief window, Patil allegedly used a ruse to open the lock-up door and walked out without attracting the attention of the police personnel responsible for guarding him. Consequently, the escape raised immediate questions about how an accused facing serious criminal charges could leave a police station lock-up undetected.