2 suspects in Pune drugs case held in UP; 1 of them is kin of prisoner who escaped from hospital

Representation Pic

Two suspects wanted in a narcotics case were apprehended by the Pune police in a joint operation with the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh from near Nepal border in the northern state on Tuesday, an official said. According to the police, one of the suspects is Bhushan Patel, brother of Lalit Patil, a Yerawada Jail inmate who last week fled from government-run Sassoon General Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.

The second suspect who was nabbed was identified by the police as Abhishek Balkawade. On September 30, the city police had arrested a man from outside Sassoon General Hospital with mephedrone worth Rs 2 crore. A probe led to the arrest of a hospital canteen staffer who revealed the contraband was supplied by Lalit Patil, a Yerwada Jail inmate admitted in the hospital at the time.

However, Lalit Patil escaped from the hospital on October 2 when he was taken for an X-ray, leading to suspension of nine police personnel. "Bhushan Patel and another apprehended accused Abhishek Balkawade were wanted in the mephedrone seizure case. Today, the Pune crime branch and the UP police's STF apprehended both the accused from near Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh," said an officer. Meanwhile, Lalit Patil continues to be at large and police have formed multiple teams to nab him.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever