An offence has been registered at Yerawada police station against the convict, identified as Satish Bajirao Daspute (40) of Mungi village in Shevgain taluka of Ahmednagar district. Daspute, who was serving punishment at Yerawada Central Prison since 2002, was arrested in connection with a murder case in 1998. He was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Considering his good behaviour, he was shifted to the open jail on November 20, 2012. His jail term was also reduced by three and a half years due to good conduct and he was about to get released after a year. However, he was found missing during the attendance taken by open jail officials around 12.30 pm on Tuesday. Police said he was present during the attendance taken at 7 am.
Hawaldar Babasaheb Pund (52) who took the attendance in the afternoon and found him missing informed senior jail officers after which a search was launched on the jail premises, but Daspute could not be traced.
S-I R B Lokhande is investigating the case. Teams have been despatched to look for Daspute. Inquiry has been initiated to check if there was a lapse by jail officials.
Third incident
Currently, the open jail, spread across 265 acres, houses 118 convicts. There are about 25 guards for open jail who work in two shifts to ensure there is no security lapse. Since 2011, this is the third incident of convicts fleeing from the open jail in Yerawada prison. In January, 2012, convict Raju Borghe escaped from the open jail while working in the fields. Borghe was convicted for his wife’s murder. On May 22, 2011, Saleem Gulab Pathan, a man serving life term for murdering his wife had escaped from the Yerawada open jail. Daspute’s escape took place when heavy security arrangements were in place around the prison area due to the presence of Home Minister R R Patil, Inspector General (prisons) Meeran Borwankar and other senior prison department officers at the Daulatrao Jadhav Jail Officers’ Training School.