Representative image showing the word 'suspended'.
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Thane: Six police personnel have been suspended after an undertrial prisoner escaped from their custody while being taken to court in Maharashtra's Thane district earlier this week, an official said on Saturday.
As per an order issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (HQ-2) Pawan Bansode, a head constable and five constables, who were part of a police escort team, were suspended in connection with the incident that occurred in Bhiwandi on August 4.
Five undertrial prisoners were being transported to the Bhiwandi court for hearings when one of them, Salamat Ali Ansari (32), who is facing charges of rape, kidnapping, and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, allegedly took advantage of the crowd outside the court premises and managed to flee.
The suspension order stated that the police personnel failed to maintain a close watch on the movements of the undertrials and were "not alert" while on duty.
"This negligence amounts to dereliction of duty and indicates carelessness towards their assigned responsibilities," it stated.
The directive also cited various provisions under the Maharashtra Police Act and departmental regulations.
Efforts to trace Ansari are underway, with teams deployed in and around Bhiwandi and neighbouring districts, police said.
The suspended personnel include head constable Amol Tarte, and constables Motiram Debre, Datta Sarkate, Deepak Ingle, Vikas Chate, and Sangeeta Chokande.