Undertrials escape after overpowering police guard

SILIGURI: Three undertrials escaped from Jalapaiguri district hospital after overpowering a police guard, police said on Tuesday.

Three undertrials, Ajoy Roy (20), Bishnu Sarkar (26) and Victor Barua (28), who were admitted to the prison ward of the hospital called Robin Toppo, the single police guard who was present at that time, to their ward on the pretext of changing the saline bottle of an undertrial in the evening hours yesterday, the police said.

As soon as he entered the ward, the undertrials overpowered him, covered his mouth with a blanket and started beating him.

They snatched the keys of the prison ward from Toppo's pocket, opened the door and fled away, the police said.

The injured police guard was admitted to the hospital.

Jalpaiguri superintendent of police E Tripurari told newsmen that four security personnel including assistant sub inspector  Ishadul Haq, constable Dilip Roy and two homeguards Amulya Roy and Azijul Haq were suspended pending an inquiry into the incident.

Meanwhile, red alert was sounded in entire Jalpaiguri district and adjacent, Coochbehar and Darjeeling district were also put in alert, Tripurari said.