Two Pune Police Constables Arrested In Drug Racketeer Lalit Patil’s Escape Case

Pune, 17th November 2023: Policemen Natharam Kale and Amit Jadhav, who were on duty during the escape of drug mafia Lalit Patil from Sassoon General Hospital, were arrested by Unit Two of the Crime Branch. Both policemen from Police Headquarters face charges of dereliction of duty and negligence.

Commissioner of Police Retesh Kumaarr has suspended both of them.

Lalit Patil, currently in Pune Police custody, had escaped from Sassoon Hospital. The police subsequently arrested his brother Bhushan Anil Patil, Abhishek Ulhas Balakawade, Subhash Janki Mandal, Rauf Rahim Shaikh, Jishan Shaikh, Pragya Arun Kamble, and Archana Kiran Nikam. Additionally, the Director of Rosary School Vinay Vivek Aranha and Aranha’s driver Datta Doke, along with Arvind Lohare, were apprehended. A raid on Lalit Patil’s residence yielded gold worth crores of rupees, and the police also seized several of his vehicles.

After the escape, Police Commissioner Kumaarr took decisive action, suspending seven police personnel, including an Assistant Police Inspector, a Sub-Inspector, and an Assistant Sub-Inspector, for their roles in the case. The two policemen on duty during Lalit Patil’s escape were specifically accused of dereliction of duty and negligence, leading to their subsequent arrest by Unit Two of the Crime Branch.

DCP (Crime Branch) Amol Zende highlighted that the investigation into the Lalit Patil escape case revealed the lapse in duty by the two policemen on duty, ultimately resulting in their arrest.