MEERUT: A 45-year-old rape accused escaped from police custody in Bulandshahr’s Ahmedgarh village after locals allegedly confronted police and helped him flee. An FIR has been lodged against the village head and over 30 others for abetting the escape.
According to police, the accused, Mohd Afzal of Chehla village, was booked on August 28 for allegedly raping a 22-year-old woman on the pretext of marriage. After evading arrest for days by hiding in local houses, he was caught on September 4 by two plainclothes constables.
However, as the constables were escorting him out, villagers intervened. “Afzal pushed one constable and jumped from a terrace. During probe, we found residents had even blocked a narrow lane with a tractor to delay police movement,” SHO Premchand Sharma said. A video circulating online shows Afzal pushing a constable before fleeing.
Police have booked 12 named persons, including gram pradhan Mohd Rouf, and 15–20 unidentified villagers under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including grievous hurt to a public servant, wrongful restraint, and obstruction of duty.
On Tuesday, villagers met SSP Dinesh Kumar Singh, who assured a fair probe. “Teams have been formed to arrest Afzal. We are also investigating how he managed to escape from custody,” Singh said.
Some villagers, however, claimed confusion over the policemen’s identity. “Since they were in plainclothes, people thought they were outsiders. Rouf was asked to intervene, but before things were clarified, Afzal fled,” said Adil Ali Khan, a local resident. Police, meanwhile, maintained the constables were from the nearby post and known to some locals.
