Four juvenile inmates at the Sarkanda Juvenile Observation Home in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, allegedly murdered security guard Narendra Kumar Khande before escaping from the facility. To get him out of their way, the accused are said to have tied his hands and feet behind his back with rope and stuffed a cloth in his mouth so he could not scream for help. Investigators have now uncovered a significant new lead that points to just how long this escape plan had been in the works.
The escape plot had been brewing for a week
All four juvenile inmates were lodged at the Sarkanda Juvenile Observation Home in connection with serious criminal cases. To make their escape possible, they first plotted to remove the security guard who stood in their way. The investigation has now revealed that this was not a spur of the moment decision. The plan had reportedly been in motion for about a week before it was carried out. What has alarmed investigators most is that the home's management remained completely unaware of the plot despite it playing out over several days, pointing to serious lapses in the facility's monitoring systems that allowed four juveniles to execute their plan largely unchecked.
Guard's family continues protest, demands compensation and a job
The family of Narendra Khande, who lost his life while on duty, remained on a protest sit-in for the second consecutive day. They have placed two central demands before the administration, compensation of Rupees one crore and a government job for one member of the family. The deceased's brother-in-law said the family wants justice and that photographs of the four accused should be put up at busy intersections so people can identify them and help the police track them down. The family's anger also stems from the fact that such a serious security breach could occur at a facility whose very job is to keep watch over its inmates.
Police say all four accused are adults, CCTV shows them fleeing on one bike
Bilaspur SSP Rajnesh Singh said all four accused are adults and that a murder case has already been registered against them. CCTV footage obtained by the police shows all four juveniles fleeing the scene on a single motorbike. During the investigation, police found leads suggesting the accused headed towards Raigarh. Based on this lead, multiple police teams are now conducting continuous search operations across the Raigarh and Korba districts. Police have assured that the fugitives will be arrested soon, and every aspect of the case is being examined closely to determine whether anyone else was involved in the plot.
Serious questions over the security lapse
A juvenile observation home exists precisely to monitor and safeguard young offenders in its custody, which makes the murder of a guard and the escape of four inmates from the very same premises deeply troubling. The central question is how a plot that unfolded over several days went unnoticed by anyone at the facility. It is still not clear exactly where the security system failed or who should be held accountable for it. For now, answers to these questions are expected to emerge only as the investigation and any administrative action against those responsible move forward.
