Two accused re-arrested after escaping custody

MUMBAI: The Nalasopara police re-arrested two accused on Saturday who had escaped custody by jumping off a running train while being brought from Uttar Pradesh last week.

In June, the Nalasopara police registered a case of cheating against three men: Mohammed Anees Rafique, Mohammed Rehan Farooqui, and Kaleem Ahmed. They were accused of cheating a 34-year-old complainant out of ₹15 lakh. The police traced the accused to Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and dispatched a team of four officers to apprehend them.

The police arrested the trio and placed them on the Ghazipur-Bandra Express, handcuffed. During the journey, the accused engaged the officers in conversation and offered them drinks, which caused the officers to feel dizzy. Taking advantage of this, the three men jumped off the running train.

The police managed to capture Rafique, but Farooqui and Ahmed escaped. The Government Railway Police at Etawah station were informed, and the police returned to Mumbai.

With assistance from the UP Special Task Force, the two men were re-arrested in their village in Pratapgarh on Saturday and brought to Mumbai on Sunday, according to Vijay Singh Bagal, senior police inspector of Nalasopara police station.

The accused were produced in court and remanded to police custody until July 10. “We are now trying to track the money that the three men took from the complainant,” said an officer from the Nalasopara police station.