Escort service: Convicts pay for favours

The escape of Sylvester Daniel, a key witness of the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case and his dramatic arrest have revealed the illegitimate manner in which cops escort prisoners. A prisoner can get whatever he/she wants, provided they are able to pay the right price for it.

As a matter of fact, there have been revelations in which the police escort teams were found bestowing luxurious facilities upon prisoners while taking them for court proceedings. The escort team would even allow the prisoners telephonic conversations with the relatives, personal meetings, home visits and travel in private vehicles among others.

There have been instances of such lapsed security where prisoners escape as well. If sources are to be believed, this is what may have happened in Sylvester’s case as well. Even the state director general of police (DGP), Chitranjan Singh had admitted that Sylvester got the escort team drunk. 

Police sources said that escort teams usually charge Rs200 to Rs300 for allowing telephonic conversation to prisoners  and a ‘grand dinner’ or ‘parties’ costing between Rs2,000 to Rs3,000. The police would also charge Rs7,000 to Rs10,000 and allow the prisoners to visit their homes.

“There is no hard and fast rule for cops to extract money from prisoners for such luxuries. Normally, it depends on the notoriety and economic condition of the prisoners. The prisoner has to ensure that his or her relative pays the cops after their wishes are fulfilled,” sources said.