Murder accused Montu Namdar escapes from police custody again

AHMEDABAD: In a stunning display of audacity, Montu Namdar, the prime accused in the June 2022 murder of BJP worker Rakesh Mehta, has once again given the cops the slip. This time, Namdar executed his daring escape from police custody at Aslali crossroads on Wednesday evening.

Namdar had been brought to Court No. 8 of the Ahmedabad city civil sessions court in Lal Darwaza on Wednesday to make an appearance in connection with Mehta's murder. He pulled off his daring escape while being transported to Nadiad sub-jail in Bilodara by an escort party, led by PSI D B Parmar from the Nadiad police headquarters and accompanied by constables Pravinsinh Chauhan and Yashrajsinh Jhala.

On the way, Namdar claimed he needed to urinate due to his diabetes. The officers allowed him to relieve himself behind a truck near Radhe Complex at Aslali crossroads. Seizing the moment, Namdar vanished into thin air, leaving the officers scrambling to locate him. PSI Parmar, 53, who also has additional charge of the bomb detection and disposal squad, in his FIR with Aslali police, detailed the sequence of events leading to Namdar's escape. "We checked the nearby area but found no trace of him," said Parmar.

This is not the first time Namdar has outsmarted the authorities. Last July, he was granted a 14-day interim bail to support his family, but he fled to Rajasthan instead. It took until Oct for the Cybercrime police to track him down on the Udaipur-Nathdwara highway. Namdar's criminal escapades have taken him to various hill stations across Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. He even brazenly revisited Ahmedabad multiple times, allegedly plotting to kill Pavan Gandhi, the complainant in the murder case. Surveillance footage caught him in the act, strolling past Gandhi's office in Khadia.

Namdar's notoriety stems from his gruesome attack on Rakesh Mehta on June 8, 2022. Along with five associates, Namdar bludgeoned Mehta to death with baseball bats near Hajira ni Pol, driven by long-standing family and property disputes. Initially lodged at Sabarmati jail, Namdar was later transferred to Nadiad sub-jail. His recent escape adds another layer of frustration for law enforcement, who continue their hunt for the fugitive. The city crime branch has been tasked with recapturing Namdar The latest incident has reignited concerns about jail breaks in Gujarat, with the state already having a significant number of escapees. According to the National Prisons Information Portal, since 1972, 1,379 prisoners have successfully escaped from 23 jails across Gujarat.


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