Fugitive Inmate Slips Away From Police Custody During Prison Transit in Gazipur
A manhunt is underway in Gazipur to trace an inmate who escaped from police custody nearly fifteen hours after vanishing while being transported back to Kashimpur Central Jail. Thirty-year-old Raja, widely known as Picchi Raja, slipped away from law enforcement officers on Sunday night around 8:30 PM in the Baimail area of Gazipur Metropolitan after requesting a restroom break. Despite extensive search operations conducted through Monday morning, authorities have yet to locate or apprehend the fugitive.
Konabari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Iftekhar Hossain confirmed that security personnel are actively pursuing leads to recapture the escaped inmate, though initial tracking efforts have not yet yielded results. Police and prison records indicate that Raja was among a contingent of thirty prisoners transported from Kashimpur Central Jail to Dhaka Metropolitan Court on Sunday morning for scheduled hearings and trial proceedings.
The security breach occurred as the prison transport vehicle was returning the detainees to Kashimpur at night. According to police accounts, Raja raised a commotion inside the vehicle in the Baimail area, claiming an urgent need to use the washroom. When accompanying officers escorted him down from the transport, he suddenly broke free and sprinted into the darkness. The remaining twenty-nine prisoners were subsequently delivered safely to the correctional facility.
1, stated that Raja had been detained under the Explosive Substances Act. Law enforcement officials noted that police gathered comprehensive background details regarding the fugitive during a visit to the prison on Monday morning to aid the ongoing recovery operation. Although immediate perimeter sweeps were launched following the escape, local law enforcement units continue their efforts to trace his whereabouts. Police records show that Raja, identified as a prominent narcotics dealer from Dhaka's Mohammadpur area, was originally arrested by law enforcement on May 19 this year and faces multiple pending criminal charges.
