03 January,2017 11:10 AM IST | | Anurag Kamble
A Nigerian national, released after serving a prison time for drug peddling, escaped from police custody yesterday before he could be deported. The accused was caught by the Anti-Narcotics Cell, Azad Maidan unit, in 2014
John Kennedy Chukwuemeka Okoro was to be deported
A Nigerian national, released after serving a prison time for drug peddling, escaped from police custody yesterday before he could be deported.
The accused, John Okoro, a resident of Koparkhairane, was caught by the Anti-Narcotics Cell, Azad Maidan unit, in 2014. The court had sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. He served time in Nashik prison and was released on December 31.
"We brought him to Mumbai to start the deportation process. But as it was Sunday, we had to keep him in the office. As per the guidelines, we can't handcuff a foreign national due for deportation," said a cop.
Around 2 am on January 2, John sneaked out and got down on the roof of the adjoining unit's building. "Constable Kisan Muknak saw him and jumped to catch him, but part of the roof gave way and his leg got stuck. He alerted other officials who also tried to catch him," said another constable. "The accused ran towards a gate that leads to CST. The gate is 8 feet high, but he climbed it. We failed to catch him," the cop added. Constable Muknak was admitted in Police Hospital, Nagpada. A case was registered against John in Azad Maidan police station.
"We informed all 12 Crime Branch units and ANC units to start a search operation. We are confident that he will be nabbed soon," said Additional Commissioner (Crime) KMM Prasanna.
