Hyderabad: Seventeen juveniles who were arrested for their involvement in different offences escaped from the Saidabad Observational Home around 10 pm on Monday night. Earlier this year in May, 15 boys had escaped from the same place and in the same way, police said. Out of the 17, one boy was found at his residence in the city while the rest are still absconding. There are 66 residents in the Home.
The superintendent of the place, Neelakantam, along with two supervisors was suspended by the director of the Juvenile Home, Saidabad, during the last slip-up but still no precautionary measures were taken. According to the police, out of the 17 that escaped this time, one boy was from the old lot. Each of the minors is reportedly involved in more than five cases, said the ACP, Malakpet, K. Narsing Rao.
“The place they escaped from did not have any CC cameras and we suspect that the boy who escaped last time might have encouraged the rest to join him the second time,” officials said. “The boys used the same modus operandi as last time and slipped out by cutting the iron grills of two windows in the back using a hacksaw blade, undetected by the CC cameras,” said the official.
This is pure negligence of the homes management, said the Saidabad inspector K. Sattaiah. “We had asked and suggested that they increase the length of the compound wall and also to install CC cameras in and around the place but no action was taken,” said the official.
“We checked their names and informed the Juvenile Justice Board and also police stations from where the boys were sent here,” he added. Saidabad Police traced the juveniles who had escaped last time in the following weeks. Police said that while some were caught roaming around in the city, some were found at their residence and were nabbed with the help of search parties deputed to hunt them with tip offs from sources. In May, the boys also hotwired and stole a parked bike in the residential area near the observation home belonging to Ramulu, the Village Revenue Official residing in the vicinity.
