A man arrested in a motorcycle theft case escaped from police custody at the Fatehabad Civil Hospital on Monday while being taken for a mandatory medical examination before being produced in court.

The accused, identified as Surjit, alias Sukhi of Bhuthan Khurd village, allegedly gave a sudden jerk to the policemen and fled despite being handcuffed. He even left behind his slippers while escaping. The police suspect he ran towards the nearby Kabir Basti area. A search operation has been launched and senior officers have been informed.

According to the police, the case was registered after Ravi Bhambhu of Bharokhan village reported that his Bajaj Platina motorcycle had been stolen from the parking area of the Fatehabad Power House on July 24. Based on his complaint, the City police registered a case under Section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on July 25 and began an investigation.

The police identified Surjit as the accused, arrested him late on July 26 and recovered the stolen motorcycle.

On Monday morning, a head constable and a Home Guard jawan brought Surjit to the Civil Hospital emergency ward for his medical examination. During the process, he managed to escape from custody. Police teams, including the CIA unit, have been deployed to trace and re-arrest the accused.