Sassoon, an escape route for yet another undertrial

A 22-year-old notorious burglar Aslam Salim Shaikh, who was involved in more than four house break-in cases, escaped from Sassoon general hospital on Friday morning.

The incident took place at ward number 7 when Shaikh was taken to the bathroom. He opened the net of the window and fled away. The constable who was guarding outside the bathroom was unaware of the incident for nearly 20 minutes.

Police inspector Sarjerao Patil of Baramati police station said, “Shaikh and his four gang members were arrested in burglary cases around a month ago. His accomplices have bailed out recently while Shaikh was keen to be released. On Wednesday, Shaikh tried to commit suicide with a piece of wood in the Baramati sub-jail. As a result, he was shifted to the hospital.”

He was guarded by a head constable and three constables along with the jail staff. Patil said, “On Friday morning, Shaikh went to the bathroom on the pretext of attending nature’s call. Our police constable was outside the bathroom. After sometime, he called him, but did not get any response. As a result, he checked the bathroom’s window and saw it was flung open. He immediately informed other policemen but by then Shaikh had fled.”

Police constable S Hole has lodged a complaint in this regard with Bund Garden police station.

According to the police records, Shaikh has not only operated in the Pune rural areas but also in the Pune city jurisdictions in the past.

Past incidents
With the escape of burglar Aslam Salim Shaikh, lacuna in the security at Sassoon General hospital has once again come to the fore. This is not the first time that the inmate has escaped from the hospital.
An alleged murderer and rapist Yogesh Raut and recently arrested Santosh Nanaware had managed to give a slip to the police. Albeit, the top brass police officers of Pune claim that they have provided adequate security to the hospital.
Deputy commissioner of police (zone - II) Ramnath Pokale told dna, “The concerned police staff should take care of the inmate when he or she is brought to the hospital. The Bund Garden police is patrolling day and night but the concerned police staff should take more precautions.”