Kidnapping accused flees Tihar Jail with fake court orders

NEW DELHI - A man under trial for kidnapping fled the capital’s high security Tihar Jail after producing fake court orders, officials said Saturday. The episode appeared to be a re-run of the escape of Sher Singh Rana - killer of bandit queen Phoolan Devi.

Sandeep Parmar of Gujarat, lodged in jail no 8, fled Feb 10 after producing fake interim bail orders. He was arrested by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch in a kidnapping for ransom case in 2008.

Jail spokesman Sunil Gupta told IANS that Parmar produced court orders signed, sealed and stamped by district judge M.K. Kaushik. “We had court orders, so we released him. His escape is not our fault,” he said.

The escape came to light when relatives of Parmar’s co-accused Sandeep Singh, lodged in jail number 3, approached the jail authorities with interim bail orders.

“The confusion arose because of same names. Singh’s relatives demanded his release as they had valid papers. Singh was also released. But when we checked with the district judge, he denied signing interim bail orders and asked us to approach the police,” Gupta said, adding that they registered a complaint at the Hari Nagar police station Feb 11.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (west Delhi) Sharad Aggarwal said they were approached Feb 12 and a case was subsequently registered.

“We have launched an investigation and are trying to find out how he managed to get the court orders. We are also trying to locate him,” he said.

In 2004 Rana, who killed Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi, had escaped Tihar jail after producing fake court orders. He was arrested two years later in Kolkata.