📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / India Post, Government of India
Crime
Suspended Patwari Rajesh Namdev Escapes Police Custody in Singrauli
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 29 Aug 2026, 09:51 AM
👁 14
A suspended patwari accused of land fraud in Singrauli fled from police custody at District Hospital Baidhan by claiming he needed to use the restroom, prompting further suspensions of an ASI and a guard.
Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh – Rajesh Namdev, a patwari who had been suspended pending investigation into alleged manipulation of government land records and illegal encroachment, managed to escape police custody on Wednesday. He was being held at the District Hospital and Trauma Centre in Baidhan when he reportedly asked to be taken to the restroom and used the opportunity to flee.
Police officials said the patwari's sudden disappearance raised concerns about security lapses during custodial transfers. An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a security guard assigned to supervise the detainee have also been suspended pending inquiry into their role in the breach.
Local authorities have launched a manhunt to locate Namdev and have appealed to the public for any information that could aid in his apprehension. The incident underscores challenges faced by law enforcement in managing high‑profile detainees in remote districts.
The case involves allegations of land fraud and illegal construction on state-owned property, offenses that carry significant penalties under Madhya Pradesh's land management statutes.
Investigations into the procedural failures that allowed the escape are ongoing, and senior police officers have pledged stricter oversight to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Police officials said the patwari's sudden disappearance raised concerns about security lapses during custodial transfers. An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a security guard assigned to supervise the detainee have also been suspended pending inquiry into their role in the breach.
Local authorities have launched a manhunt to locate Namdev and have appealed to the public for any information that could aid in his apprehension. The incident underscores challenges faced by law enforcement in managing high‑profile detainees in remote districts.
The case involves allegations of land fraud and illegal construction on state-owned property, offenses that carry significant penalties under Madhya Pradesh's land management statutes.
Investigations into the procedural failures that allowed the escape are ongoing, and senior police officers have pledged stricter oversight to prevent similar incidents in the future.