A drug peddling convict thought he had pulled off a successful escape by first pretending to be ill so that he could be taken for a check-up and then fleeing, taking advantage of the crowd at JJ Hospital on Friday. The convict, however, made the mistake of returning to his old area of operation, which was the first place the police looked for him, and was arrested within three hours of his escape.
Mohammed Abid Sheikh (35) was arrested in a drug peddling case around a month ago by the Nagpada police, and was convicted last week. He was subsequently sent to the central jail in Byculla to serve his sentence.
On Friday, Sheikh allegedly told prison officials that he was feeling uneasy and was having pain in his chest and head. He was then taken for a medical check-up to JJ Hospital in Byculla, escorted by two constables with the local arms unit.
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“One of the constables escorting Sheikh was standing in the queue at the outpatient department (OPD) of the hospital to fill the requisite forms, while Sheikh and the other constable were standing aside. As per rules, Sheikh was not in handcuffs at the time, and the constable was holding his arm. When the first constable approached the desk and got busy in the paperwork, Sheikh jerked his arm away, ran into the crowds in the OPD, and disappeared,” said inspector Uddhavrao Karande, JJ Marg police station.
The constables informed the police control room, and the information was flashed across the wireless network. A team from JJ Marg police station reached the hospital to check CCTV footage, while another team went to Nagpada police station to get details about Sheikh.
As soon as the police checked Sheikh’s file, they sent two policemen to his residence in Byculla and his father told them that he only visits once in months. Meanwhile, the police team went to Chhota Sonapur in Nagpada, where he is known to peddle drugs, and started making inquiries among shopkeepers and residents.
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“We were showing Sheikh’s picture to the locals in the area when we found a man who told us he had seen Sheikh. When we asked him when, he told us that he had a short conversation with Sheikh just five minutes ago. He added that he didn’t know Sheikh had escaped from prison. Our team immediately fanned out and found Sheikh crouching behind some parked cars in an adjacent lane. Having seen the police approach, he was trying to hide,” Mr Karande said.
Sheikh was arrested at around 3:30 p.m. and has been charged with escaping from lawful custody under the Indian Penal Code.