Chandigarh: A man accused of stealing rifles and ammunition from an army institute in Madhya Pradesh tricked his police guards and escaped from a Punjab hospital by scaling its wall early on Tuesday, officials said.
Harpreet Singh (25), a “military deserter”, was undergoing treatment at the Hoshiarpur civil hospital for a hand injury since December 31, they said.
“He hoodwinked our policemen by asking to go to the washroom,” Hoshiarpur senior superintendent of police Guarav Garg told PTI on the phone.
Harpreet Singh told his four police guard he wanted to go to the washrom and then climbed the wall of the hospital at around 4:30 am to escape, officials said, adding that he was lodged at a jail in Hoshirapur district.
He is facing charges of stealing two INSAS rifles and ammunition from the army's training institute in Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh.
Singh, who was a sepoy in the Indian Army, was arrested from Chotala village near Tanda in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, in December. He was declared a "military deserter" in October last year.
Three accomplices were arrested with Harpreet Singh at that time. Posing as army officers, they stole the rifles and ammunition in the early hours of December 6.
The stolen arms and ammunition were recovered.
