4 jailbirds hoodwink Maha prison staff to escape from cell in waiting car

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra): In a bizarre getaway, four undertrials lodged in a sub-prison here made a daring pre-dawn escape from the Sangamner Sub-District Jail in a pick-up car waiting outside, officials said on Wednesday.

The four undertrials bolted from the sub-jail lock-up where they were lodged, and the incident came to light at around 6.30 a.m. on Wednesday, sending the district and local police into a tizzy.

The undertrials have been identified as Rahul D. Kale, Roshan R. Dadhel, Machhindra M. Jadhav and Anil C. Dhoke, who managed to cut the iron rods of a window in the barrack, climb out and then drive off in a car, said to be a Maruti Swift, waiting for them outside the sub-jail.

On learning of the shocking incident, senior officials like SDPO Somnath Vakchaure and others rushed to the spot.

The Samgamner City police station has formed three special teams which have fanned out in different directions to hunt for the escaped undertrials, and vigil has been tightened at all the check-posts on the district border, said an official.

Messages to keep a lookout for the escaped accused have also been relayed to police control rooms in the neighbouring districts in a desperate bid to trace and nab them, while people have been asked to inform the police if they see any of them.

While Kale was nabbed in a murder case, Jadhav was caught in an attempt to murder case. Dhoke and Dadhel were apprehended in separate rape cases, at various times in the past four years, said an official.

Local sources claimed that the operation appeared to be well-planned with the possibility of inside or outside help not ruled out, as they had a getaway car waiting for them and they disappeared without a trace.