Undertrial who escaped from GB Pant Hospital in Delhi held in Himachal

Delhi Police has apprehended a 26-year-old undertrial prisoner within 48 hours of his escape from GB Pant Hospital, where he had allegedly engineered a fake medical emergency as part of a pre-planned bid to flee custody, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Pawan Bhalla, had escaped from police custody on June 26 by squeezing through a washroom ventilation opening after being shifted from Rohini jail for to the hospital for treatment, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said Bhalla had allegedly consumed an unknown substance while lodged in Rohini Central Jail on June 24 to create a medical emergency.

He was initially taken to Dr BR Ambedkar Hospital after reportedly vomiting blood and was later referred to G.B. Pant Hospital for specialised treatment.

Police said that at 6:45 pm on June 26, Bhalla sought permission to use the washroom and escaped through a ventilation opening. Despite immediate search efforts by escorting staff, he could not be traced.

Following the escape, an FIR was registered at I.P. Estate police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Bhalla was originally arrested on June 15 by Vijay Vihar police during patrolling near Lal Flats in Rohini after a prohibited button-operated knife was allegedly recovered from his possession. He was booked under the Arms Act and sent to judicial custody.

Taking the escape seriously, the Crime Branch formed a dedicated team and launched a manhunt using technical surveillance, human intelligence and field operations.

During the investigation, police received specific inputs that Bhalla had fled to Una district in Himachal Pradesh. Acting on the lead, a police team apprehended him from Jitpur Behri on June 28.

During interrogation, Bhalla allegedly told police that after escaping from the hospital, he went to Old Delhi Railway Station and boarded a train to Una in an attempt to distance himself from Delhi.

He allegedly took shelter at the house of a former associate and began working at a warehouse loading and unloading goods while concealing his identity.

Police said Bhalla is a resident of Budh Vihar in Delhi and originally hails from Jind in Haryana. He has previous criminal involvement in burglary and theft cases and is allegedly addicted to drugs.

Further legal proceedings are underway and he has been brought back into lawful custody.