Gangster flees from hospital in Bhagalpur

BHAGALPUR: Gangster Vikas Jha, who was serving life term in the sensational double murder of two engineers in Darbhanga, escaped from the prisoners’ ward of Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) here on Monday.
Police said the prisoner sprinkled red chilli powder in the eyes of a home guard jawan, who was escorting him to the hospital loo in the early hours of Monday.Though the jawan, Swami Saran, managed to raise an alarm, Jha escaped on a motorbike with his associates who were waiting outside. However, police have managed to arrest his cousin Ayush Jha.
Bhagalpur SSP Ashish Bharti said nine home guard jawans, who were deployed at the prisoners’ ward have been put under suspension. “I am personally monitoring the police operation to arrest the escapee at the earliest,” he said.
The SSP said the district borders have been sealed and all police stations have been put on high alert. Vikas was involved in the 2015 murder of two engineers—Brajesh Kumar Singh and Mukesh Kumar— engaged in road construction work in Darbhanga .
Vikas, a sharp shooter of the notorious gang led by Santosh Jha and Mukesh Pathak, is a native of Purvi Tola under Bathnaha police station in Sitamarhi district. A police team has been dispatched to Sitamarhi, an investigating officer said, adding Vikas was shifted to the special central jail at Bhagalpur from the Motihari central jail in 2018 for security reasons.
The SHO of Barari police station Sunil Kumar Jha said Vikas was shifted to the prisoners ward on August 8 for treatment of an undisclosed ailment.