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A man (53), sentenced for life and released on parole, fled while being taken to a hospital from a remote place in Darjeeling hills in north Bengal after he had tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive.<\/p>\n
The man had murdered his wife in 2011 and was sentenced for life. <\/p>\n
He was released on parole for a month from Jalpaiguri Central Jail in north Bengal and went home in remote Lodhama village in Darjeeling district almost a week ago. <\/p>\n
On Sunday evening, when he was being taken to Tribeni Covid-19 hospital in Kalimpong, about 100 kilometres (km) from his native village, he managed to flee from the ambulance. <\/p>\n
There was no security in the ambulance, a jail official said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe convict had asked the ambulance driver to stop in a wooded area. It was dark and he fled. A search operation has been launched,\u201d said Subodh Dutta, officer-in-charge of Lodhoma police station. <\/p>\n
Even though his family members, including his daughter and elder brother, and some villagers have already been quarantined, he had spent a night with another convict in Darjeeling, who was also released on parole along with him. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know how many people he had come in contact with. He tested Covid-19 positive on Friday, but the ambulance arrived on Sunday. He absconded because of lack of security in the ambulance,\u201d said Dutta. <\/p>\n
S Poonambalam, district magistrate, of Darjeeling said: \u201cWe will take up the matter with the police and trace him.\u201d <\/p>\n
Senior officials of Jalpaiguri central jail said that some convicts, who have been released on parole or have completed their jail term, have tested Covid-19 positive after reaching home. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany inmates and officials have also tested Covid-19 positive in the overcrowded jail,\u201d said another official. <\/p>\n
A convict from Teesta Bazaar, who was released on July 20 after completing a seven-year jail term, also tested Covid-19 positive after reaching home. <\/p>\n
Abhishek Tiwari, DM, Jalpaiguri, however, said the district authorities are yet to be intimated about the convict\u2019s escape. <\/p>\n
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