Arms Act suspect slips police custody, jumps into Chandan river in Bhagalpur

A man detained under the Arms Act escaped from police custody in Bihar's Bhagalpur district on Saturday afternoon by leaping into the Chandan river from a bamboo bridge, police said.

The incident occurred in the Jagdishpur police station area. Acting on a tip-off that a suspect wanted in several cases had been seen near Saidpur Ghat on the riverbank carrying a country-made musket and cartridges, a police team reached the spot and took him into custody. The man was identified as Santosh Yadav, a resident of Motidah village.

A four-constable team was escorting Yadav to a waiting jeep. The route required them to cross a bamboo bridge roughly 50 metres long. Two constables raised their sticks to keep their balance on the narrow span.

The group halted briefly near the bridge and an argument broke out before they moved on again. Midway across, the suspect pulled one of the constables with him and jumped into the river.

Both were swept along by the strong current for several minutes, with most rivers in the state in spate after days of heavy rain. The constable managed to swim to the opposite bank and survived. Yadav could not be found.

Bhagalpur police suspect the suspect reached the far bank and fled. Station House Officer Ramchandra Singh said there had been no trace of him since the jump and that raids were being carried out at all his possible hideouts.

A family member said Yadav may have drowned, describing him as a tractor driver who supported the household financially.

A team of divers and the State Disaster Response Force were called in to search the river, but the suspect remained untraceable till the filing of this report.