Latest news with #Nitesh
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Indian Express
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.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Days after erroneous release from Faridabad jail, prisoner caught from village in Bihar
Faridabad, A prisoner jailed on charges of raping a minor who was released from the district jail here due to a mistaken identity was caught from his village in Patna, Bihar, police said on Sunday. He was produced in a city court and sent into judicial custody again in Neemka jail, they said. Nitesh Pandey was mistakenly released from Neemka jail instead of another inmate named Nitesh who received bail from a Faridabad court, leading the suspension of five jail officials. The fathers of the Niteshs also had the same name, adding to the confusion. A senior police officer said that during interrogation, accused Nitesh Pandey revealed that he knew that the other Nitesh was to get bail in a case in which he was being tried for trespass and assault. After the second Nitesh got bail on Monday, the prisoners were called. The inmate who got the bail was not present at the spot on Tuesday and the rape accused identified himself as Nitesh and came out of the jail, he added. A case was registered against Nitesh Pandey, son of Ravindra Pandey, under sections of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in 2021 at Sector-58 police station. He was lodged in Neemka jail after his arrest. The other Nitesh Nitesh, son of Ravindra and a resident of Shastri Colony under Old Faridabad Police Station area, was also lodged in the jail after being arrested in a case of assault, police said. After the goof up, the jail administration claimed that Nitesh Pandey managed to obtain his release by "hiding his identity" and an FIR was registered at Sadar Faridabad police station. Director General of Jail Department Mohammad Akil, Jail Assistant Superintendent Mohanlal, Deputy Assistant Pradeep Tyagi, Havaldar Rajendra and two wardens, Sanjeev and Rajesh, were suspended for negligence over the entire incident.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Nitish or Nitesh? How two men with similar names caused massive jail blunder, letting rape accused walk free
The devil is in the details, and jail authorities in Faridabad have learnt that the hard way. In a shocking mix-up, a rape accused named Nitish Kumar Pandey managed to walk out of Neemka Jail by pretending to be another inmate with a similar name. This incident, which happened on 26 May, has exposed serious flaws in the jail's verification system. A tale of two names Nitish Kumar Pandey (27), originally from Kalyanpur village in Bihar's Patna, had been in jail since 2011. He was facing serious charges under the POCSO Act for allegedly raping a nine-year-old boy in Faridabad's Sector 58. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List On the other hand, there was Nitesh (24), a resident of Shastri Colony in Old Faridabad, who was in jail for house trespass and physical assault. The court had granted him bail on 26 May. But because both men shared similar names, and both had fathers named Ravinder, Nitish managed to pose as Nitesh and leave the jail. No one noticed the different spellings of their names or the fact that they had different addresses and criminal cases. Live Events Delay brings truth to light It took nearly two days for officials to realise the mistake. The real Nitesh, still behind bars, asked why he hadn't been released even though he had bail. By then, Nitish was long gone. 'Yes, basic verification was missed. Despite clear differences in names, addresses, and charges, the staff didn't check properly,' a senior police officer admitted. Jail officials suspended, investigation on Two jail staff members who were supposed to verify identities were suspended. The administration has launched an internal inquiry and hasn't ruled out the possibility of jail staff helping Nitish escape. 'We are checking CCTV footage. It's possible someone inside helped him. We'll know more after the inquiry,' the officer said. Police hunt underway A fresh FIR has been registered against Nitish for impersonation and obstruction. A police team has gone to Patna to look for him. "His family claims they don't know where he is. We're doing our best to track him down,' said Umesh Kumar, SHO of Sadar Ballabhgarh. Meanwhile, the real Nitesh has now been released, and authorities say stricter checks will be put in place during release procedures from now on. Inputs from agencies
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
5 Faridabad jail officials suspended over negligence in bail mixup
Five Neemka jail staff members in Faridabad were suspended on Friday for alleged lapses on their part that led to the release of the wrong prisoner on May 27. The jail authorities had inadvertently released a 27-year-old man Nitesh Pandey, accused of raping a minor boy by confusing him with another inmate who had a similar name and father's name. The second inmate Nitesh, who goes by first name, had secured bail on May 26 in a trespassing and assault case, the police said on Friday. He was arrested on May 24. Both men have fathers named Ravinder, leading to the mix-up. Action was taken against Assistant Superintendent Mohanlal, Deputy Superintendent Pradeep Tyagi, Head Constable Rajendra and wardens Sanjeev and Rajesh, based on the internal investigation conducted by Jail Superintendent Harendra Singh. The inquiry report highlighted the negligence on their part, following which they were suspended by the Director General of Prisons, Deputy Superintendent Vikram Gill told The Indian Express. The error was discovered when the second Nitesh, still in custody, inquired about his release. Records were soon examined, which revealed that Pandey had been released instead. The police launched a search for Pandey, a resident of Patna, Bihar, who was booked for unnatural sex, 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 was underway. A First Information Report (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. Despite being charged with different offences, both individuals were housed in the same section of the jail as they were undertrial prisoners, according to the police.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
What's in a name? Just ask Nitish, and Nitesh: How a name twin fooled jail officials, walked out free as other waited despite bail in Faridabad
Faridabad: The devil is in the details. Authorities at the district jail have learnt it the hard way. In a bizarre case of mistaken identity that left the jail officials red-faced, a rape accused managed to walk free by exploiting a coincidence of names, exposing glaring lapses in the prison's verification system. The incident unfolded on May 26, when Nitish Kumar Pandey (27) — housed in the jail since 2011 — posed as another inmate sharing a similar name. Both inmates had their fathers named as Ravinder in prison records — a detail that became the perfect smokescreen for the escape. Pandey, originally from Kalyanpur village in Bihar's Patna, had been in custody facing serious charges under Pocso Act for allegedly raping a nine-year-old boy in Faridabad's Sector 58. His namesake — 24-year-old Nitesh (with an 'e', not 'i') — was merely facing charges of house trespass and physical assault. It was Nitesh — and not Nitish — who had been granted bail by the district court on May 26. By the time the deception came to light, 48 hours had passed. Desperately awaiting freedom, Nitesh asked the cops why he hadn't been released despite a court order granting him bail two days earlier. But Pandey had vanished by then, triggering an emergency security alert and sending the authorities in a tizzy for the oversight. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Todos os idosos deveriam ter um desse no banheiro! Veja só! Evite quedas e escorregões Saiba Mais Undo "Yes, basic verification procedures were clearly ignored. Despite different addresses and case histories, our security staff failed to cross-check the inmates' identities properly," said a senior police officer. While Pandey had his Patna address in jail records, Nitesh was a resident of Shastri Colony in Old Faridabad. Unlike the detection, the fallout of the security lapse was swift. Two jail officials responsible for verifying identities were suspended and an internal inquiry ordered. The jail administration didn't rule out the possibility of insider role either. "We are scanning CCTV footage to find out how such a massive breach happened. There is a high chance that the jail staff connived with Pandey. But we will know more only after a detailed inquiry," the officer added. Pandey, whose previous bail application was rejected in Oct 2022 by additional sessions judge Jasmine Sharma, now faces additional charges following a complaint against him lodged by jail deputy superintendent Vikram Kumar. A fresh FIR was lodged against him at Sadar Ballabhgarh police station under sections 262 (obstructing lawful apprehension) and 319 (cheating by personation) of BNS. Umesh Kumar, the SHO of Sadar Ballabhgarh, said a police team had been sent to Patna to track Pandey. "His family said they had no information about him. Multiple teams are working to track him down. We hope to arrest him soon," he added. Nitesh, meanwhile, walked out free after jail officials corrected the records. "Release procedures will come under strict scrutiny from now," the police officer said.
