Theft accused escapes from Thane police lockup

Thane: A 19-year-old man arrested in a motorbike theft case has escaped from a police lockup in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Thursday.

The incident took place in the wee hours of Wednesday when the accused, Ram Sakharam Kakad, a resident of Sahapur area, was kept in the lockup of MFC police station in Kalyan town, a police spokesperson said.

The accused allegedly bent a rod of the lockup and escaped at around 3 am, he said.

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI), who was on duty at the lockup, tried to chase him, but the accused managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness, the official said.

The ASI suffered hand injuries while trying to catch the accused and has been hospitalised, he said.

The police carried out search at the Kalyan railway station, as well as auto-rickshaw and bus stands in the area, but the accused was not found, the official said.

Efforts were on to trace the accused, the police said.