HYDERABAD, India, 18 June 2007 — Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Shaikh Nayeem alias Sameer, who is the prime suspect in Mumbai train blasts and Samjhauta Express blast cases, made an unsuccessful bid to flee from the police custody in Hyderabad yesterday morning.
The terror suspect, who was brought from Mumbai on June 6 in connection with a criminal case for trying to obtain a passport from Hyderabad under a fake name, is currently in police custody. The city police commissioner’s special investigation cell officials had brought him to Mahankali police station near Secunderabad Railway station for interrogation.
However, at 7 a.m. yesterday, Sameer gave a slip to the police on the pretext of going to the toilet at the police station. He jumped from the first floor, pushed aside the sentry on duty and escaped from the police station even as the police personnel present there watched helplessly.
Immediately after Sameer escaped into the lanes and bylanes near the police station, Mahankali police personnel rushed out to chase him. Police patrolling vans also set out in the neighborhood to trace him out. Three constables spotted him trying to seek refuge in a building at New Bhoiguda, about two km from the police station. He threw stones at them but they overpowered him. He was later handed over to Mahankali police.
While being taken back to the police station, Sameer told TV crews that he had attempted to escape because he was being subjected to third-degree torture to own up crimes he did not commit. Mahankali police registered a fresh case against him on charges of running away from police custody and for attempt to murder a police sentry. He was later produced before the magistrate as his five-day police custody ended.
