Notorious criminal, constable found guilty in escape case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 13

A local court has found notorious criminal Rajan Bhatti, alias Rajbir, guilty of escaping from the district courts while being produced for a hearing.

A police constable — Harbans Lal — was also found guilty for negligence as he was accompanying Bhatti when the latter had escaped. The quantum of their sentence will be announced on August 17.

Three other accused in the case were acquitted, while one accused Poonam, alias Dolly, is a proclaimed offender (PO). The three who have been acquitted are Sunny Sharma, Shubham and Rajbir Singh. A case was registered in October, 2016, under Sections 222, 224, 225B and 120B of the IPC.

On October 14, 2015, Rajan Bhatti was to be presented in a court in a rape case. After the hearing, the head constable took him to have tea in the area behind the advocate’s chambers. Bhatti had then pushed Harbans Lal and climbed the rear wall of the courts complex and fled in a car which was waiting for him outside.

Harbans Lal was accused of not giving the information of the same to the police control room and other officers in time. Harbans Lal was booked for negligence after a police team was sent to Punjab. Sources said this was not the first time that a criminal had fled while Harbans Lal was on duty.

Bhatti has multiple cases registered against him in Punjab and Chandigarh, including rape and murder. He had also fired on a DSP when a police team had gone to arrest him.