Ferozepur: Off the police bus, onto a bike, and gone. That’s all it took as two men accused of murder and being taken for a court hearing without handcuffs escaped from police custody in Abohar, 115 km from here, in Fazilka district on Tuesday. 

In all, four murder accused Amrit Pal Singh of Khuikhera Rukanpur, Ranjit Singh of Dhani Visheshar Nath, and Harinder Singh alias Harry and Kulvir Singh alias Kanu of Abohar were taken in the police bus from the Ferozepur central jail. 

As the bus stopped outside the court complex around noon, and the team of three policemen disembarked along with the four men, Amrit Pal hopped onto the back seat of a bike whose rider was already waiting for him. As the three cops  assistant sub-inspector Nirmal Singh, head constable Kulwinder Singh and home guard Gurbachan Singh panicked, Ranjit Singh too disappeared from the scene. 

Both these men are the alleged killers in a murder committed during a fight in Bahaw Wala village of Fazilka in April last year. Police, however, managed to keep Harinder and Kulvir accused in the headline-making Bhim Sain murder case at the farmhouse of liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda on December 2015 in custody. 

Soon after, more cops arrived, as did senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ketan Patil to take stock. He said the role of the policemen on duty is “under the scanner”: “An alert has been sounded for the escapees, and the matter is under investigation.” 

A senior officer said on the condition of anonymity: “The entire incident seems scripted as none of the accused was handcuffed and the bus too was not parked inside the court complex but stopped outside.” 

A case was registered against four policemen, including the driver; the two escapees, and four unidentified persons, under section 222 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension), besides related sections 223, 224 of the Indian Penal Code.