Accused in Pocso case escapes from custody during hospital visit

Ahmedabad: An accused in a Pocso case escaped from police custody while being taken for a medical check-up at LG Hospital in the Maninagar area of the city on Saturday. The accused, identified as Jaysukh Vaghela, fled when a crowd gathered at the hospital following the death of another patient. Taking advantage of the chaos, he managed to slip away unnoticed.According to police, Vaghela was arrested on Thursday along with another accused, Valji Solanki, in connection with a Pocso case registered at Amraiwadi police station on May 31. Two more co-accused, both women, were arrested later. All four were to be produced in a special Pocso court after a mandatory medical check-up.On the day of the escape, the police team — a head constable, a male constable, and a female constable — took the accused to LG Hospital. While one constable went to park the vehicle, the remaining officers escorted the accused inside the trauma ward. During the check-up, a patient in the ward died, leading to an emotional outburst and crowding by relatives. In the commotion, Vaghela quietly moved away from the group and fled.A complaint in this connection was registered at Maninagar police station. A search operation was launched in and around the hospital premises, but the accused remains untraceable. Meanwhile, the remaining three accused have been sent to the jail.Senior officers have taken note of the incident and internal inquiries are underway to assess the lapse. Teams from Amraiwadi police and the City Crime Branch have been mobilised to locate and rearrest the absconding accused.