16-year-old rape accused escapes through hospital window in Haldwani; police search on

A 16-year-old boy accused of rape escaped from Soban Singh Jeena Base Hospital in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, on Thursday afternoon, October 22, after giving his guards the slip and jumping out of a hospital window, police said. He had not been traced as of Friday night.

The boy had been held at a juvenile observation home in Haldwani since he was taken into custody about a month ago on charges of allegedly raping a teenage girl. He was sent there on the orders of a juvenile court, according to PTI and ETV Bharat.

On Thursday, he said he was feeling unwell. Guards from the observation home took him to the Base Hospital for a check-up and treatment, Hindustan Aaj reported.

At around 1 pm, he said he needed to use the toilet. He then jumped out of a hospital window and fled the premises, the reports said. The guards accompanying him informed the police.

Police have not explained how the boy was able to get away from his escort inside the hospital. The incident has raised questions about security arrangements for children moved between the observation home and the hospital, ETV Bharat reported.

SP (City) Harbans Singh told PTI that police are conducting raids at potential hideouts, scanning CCTV camera footage and questioning the boy’s family members to trace him. Joint teams from the Haldwani Kotwali and Banbhulpura police stations have been formed, and surveillance is also being used to find his location.

The boy was last reported to have been seen in the Banbhulpura area, and his location was also traced near the Haldwani roadways bus station, Dainik Jagran reported on Friday night. Kotwal Vijay Mehta said a first information report (FIR) was being registered on a complaint from the observation home’s superintendent, Vinod Dalakoti, and that the search was continuing.

The rape case against the boy is an allegation and has not been proved in court. The Indian Idiot is not publishing any details that could identify the accused, who is a minor, or the survivor, as required under the Juvenile Justice Act and the law on sexual offences.