UP woman, booked in Pocso case, absconds from hospital in Ludhiana

Ludhiana: A woman, who was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, went absconding after escaping from police custody when she was brought to a hospital for treatment. Police have launched search operations and an alert has been issued in the border areas.

According to an officer of Khanna police station, they had taken the woman, identified as Preeti Singh, to the civil hospital for treatment. While the police team was waiting for her infront of the emergency ward, Preeti took the back door and escaped through the main building, covering her face.

Preeti and her husband Malagar Singh, residents of village Hole were accused of abducting a minor girl from her home on the pretext of getting her married. A case under POCSO Act was registered against the couple at Khanna police station. After which, police arrested Preeti, who is a native of Uttar Pradesh.

Preeti was presented before the court on Wednesday and was brought to the Civil Hospital for treatment. Inside the hospital, she was accompanied by a lady constable. However, while the medical procedure was underway, the accused slipped out of the hospital premises keeping police in the dark.

After Preeti escaped, the Ludhiana Police teams searched for her in different areas of the city for several hours. All the CCTV cameras of the area were examined and in one footage she was seen going towards the bus stand. It is being suspected that she boarded a bus and escaped. But, the woman neither possessed her Aadhaar card nor money so it is not possible for her to travel to any faraway location, police said.

In case the woman tries to escape to her hometown in Uttar Pradesh, police have alerted the Shambhu border. Senior police inspector Hardeep Singh confirmed the incident and said that an investigation is underway.