The police are yet to track a 23-year-old accused who escaped from a COVID Care Centre (CCC) near Nandini Layout bus stand early morning on July 21. The youth, who had tested positive for COVID-19, hoodwinked the police and security personnel on duty and escaped, leaving his handcuffs behind on the bed.
The accused, Karthik Kumar, a resident of Padarayanapura, was arrested by the Vijayanagar police on July 20. He was produced before the magistrate and taken into police custody for further investigation. However, during the medical examination, the police found that Karthik was COVID-19 positive and brought it to the notice of the court.
Based on the court’s direction, he was admitted to the COVID Care Centre. Police constable Anil Kumar Mavarkar was deployed at the centre for his security. In his complaint, Anil Kumar said he had handcuffed Karthik to the bed. “As per protocol, the constable would go into the room that Karthik was in every hour to check on him. At around 2.30 a.m. on Wednesday, when Anil Kumar entered the room, he saw that the bed was empty. Karthik was missing and the handcuffs were on the bed,” said a police officer, adding that the accused used a backdoor at the COVID Care centre to escape.
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Efforts are on to track him down as he is positive for COVID-19 and could put other people at risk.