RAWALPINDI: Three police officials, including the in charge of a bakshi khana, or temporary lockup facility, were arrested after a handcuffed murder suspect escaped police custody from the district courts on Friday, police said.

The suspect, Zeeshan Ahmad, was arrested by Pirwadhai police for involvement in a murder in 2013. He escaped police custody after reportedly offering a juice pack containing a toxic substance.

Constable Imran Ali, the police official guarding him, lost consciousness after drinking from the pack, the guard said.

Mr Ali, the lockup’s muharrar Shahzad Zafar and the in-charge Sub-Inspector Ameer Zada have been arrested for negligence.

Civil Lines Station House Officer Mian Imran said Mr Ahmad, the murder suspect, was brought to the temporary lockup area, with other under-trial prisoners from Adiala jail on Friday, after his court proceedings.

He was due to appear before the court of a civil judge again on July 27.

The investigating officer said soon after he was taken to lockup, Mr Ali, who was guarding him, took him back to the judicial complex’s Khawaja Sharif block with permission from the lockup in-charge and the muharrar.

He managed to escape after Mr Ali brought him out of lockup for no reason, he said, adding that the constable had claimed he was offered a drink by people accompanying the murder suspect and fainted after he consumed the drink.

Police said the three police officials who were allegedly involved in Mr Ahmad’s escape were arrested after a case was registered against them, but police have not been able to find the escaped murder suspect.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2017