4 days after he walked out of Faridabad jail based on namesake's bail order, undertrial arrested in Patna
On Tuesday, as an official of Faridabad's Neemka jail announced the name of 24-year-old Nitesh, informing about his release on bail, another man stepped forward. A name was not the only thing the 27-year-old man shared with Nitesh; both inmates, who were undertrials in the same ward, also had the same father's name: Ravinder. Taking advantage of the mix-up, and the fact that the Nitesh the jail official was looking for was elsewhere, Nitesh Pandey managed to walk out of jail.
On Saturday, Faridabad Crime Branch apprehended Pandey from Kalyanpur village in Patna, Bihar, following a tip-off.
'The two undertrials were in the same ward. Pandey had knowledge of the impending bail order for Nitesh, and the fact that the father's name of both the men were the same. When a jail official announced Nitesh's name to instruct him to step out of the ward, Pandey, taking advantage of Nitesh's absence, raised his hand, managing to get free,' a Faridabad Police spokesperson told The Indian Express on Sunday.
Pandey was arrested in October 2021 for alleged sexual assault on a nine-year-old boy in Sector 58. The other Nitesh, who goes by only one name, is a resident of Shastri Colony, Faridabad, and had secured bail on May 26 in a trespassing and assault case.
Pandey's fraud was discovered when his namesake, still in custody despite the bail order, inquired about his release. Records were soon examined, which revealed that Pandey had been released instead.
An FIR was filed against Pandey on Wednesday at Ballabhgarh Sadar police station under sections 262 (obstructing lawful apprehension) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Pandey, hailing from Patna, was earlier booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 377 (unnatural sex), 506 (criminal intimidation), and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. His bail plea was rejected in 2022, and his trial in the case is underway.
'Undertrial prisoner Nitish Pandey … who, knowing that there are no bail papers in his name, concealed his identity and got himself released in the name of another prisoner,' the complaint by Vikram Gill, Faridabad Jail Superintendent, read.
Five Neemka jail staff members were suspended on Friday for alleged lapses on their part, and face departmental proceedings. Assistant Superintendent Mohanlal, Deputy Superintendent Pradeep Tyagi, Head Constable Rajendra and wardens Sanjeev and Rajesh were suspended based on an internal investigation conducted by Jail Superintendent Harendra Singh.
The inquiry report highlighted negligence on their part, following which they were suspended by the Director General of Prisons, Gill had said.
The original Nitesh, meanwhile, walked out of jail on Wednesday – a day after he was supposed to be released.
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