In yet another escape of an accused from police custody at the Sassoon General Hospital, a 26-year-old man, accused in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, who was being treated in an ICU of the government-run hospital, escaped on Monday night. Police said the accused escaped through the second-floor living room window and climbed down from the bamboo structure erected along the wall for ongoing repairs.
Police identified the absconding accused as Sunny Gautam Kuchekar (26), an accused in a POCSO case registered at Panchgani police station in Satara district and lodged in Yerawada central prison under judicial custody. “The accused was lodged in the Yerawada Central Prison and was taken to the prisoner’s ward at around 1:00 pm on Monday afternoon after complaining of health problems. At around 3:00 pm he suffered a seizure after which he was admitted to an intensive care ward as directed by doctors. At around 5:00 pm he went to the bathroom. Investigation suggests that he escaped through the bathroom window while climbing down from the bamboo structure erected along of the wall for the ongoing repairs of the plaster. After the leak came to light, senior officers were A coordinated search has been initiated to the Panchgani police station officials.” said an officer at the Bundgarden police station.
As many as 12 incidents were reported between August 2010 and March 2025 in which inmates, untried persons or accused escaped from Sassoon Hospital police custody, including that of mephedrone cartel kingpin Lalit Patil in October 2023.
After Lalit Patil’s escape, a major review of security measures in the prison room was initiated. Due to security breaches, nine police officers were suspended and two of them dismissed from service. The state government ordered Sassoon General Hospital to dismantle the previous prison committee that monitored and monitored admissions to the ward. A new committee was formed consisting of department heads. A dedicated police chowky has been assigned to the Sassoon hospital premises, with one police officer and staff assigned for round-the-clock deployment.