In a significant security breach, a 24-year-old accused, held under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, managed to flee from the Afzalpur police station in Kalaburagi district early on Friday. The escape, which occurred while police personnel were reportedly asleep, has stirred embarrassment within the police department.
The accused, arrested a week earlier in connection with a POCSO case, was being detained in the police station lock-up as part of the investigation. The case unfolded after a missing person complaint was filed by the parents of a 16-year-old girl from a village under the Afzalpur police station’s jurisdiction.
Allegedly, the accused, a 24-year-old from the same village, had deceived the minor by feigning love and then abducting her. Following credible information that the accused and the minor were in Pune, Maharashtra, an Afzalpur police team, along with the girl’s parents, apprehended the accused. While the rescued minor underwent a medical examination at Kalaburagi Government Hospital, the accused managed to escape from custody under the cover of night.
The entire escape was captured by CCTV cameras at the police station, prompting an investigation into the circumstances that facilitated the accused’s flight. A special team has been formed to locate the absconding accused, with search operations spanning Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
