A prisoner, Ravindra Parihar, escaped from the prisoner's ward at the district hospital in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, in the early hours of Thursday. Parihar, who was undergoing treatment at the hospital, was facing trial for attempted murder.

According to Superintendent of Police Agam Jain, Parihar stole the key to the ward from the pocket of an escorting policeman and fled with the policeman's rifle. SP Jain reported that four police personnel, Rakesh Ahirwar, Harishchandra Ahirwar, Pankaj Tiwari, and Shivam Sharma, have been suspended for negligence.

Police have registered an additional case against Parihar for stealing a rifle and have launched a search operation. They are checking CCTV footage of the vicinity and have announced a reward of ₹10,000 for his capture.

SP Agam Jain inspected the site and gave instructions to police officers for Parihar's search and arrest. He noted the serious negligence of the officers assigned to Parihar's security, who were reportedly sleeping when he escaped.

Officials have stated that this is not the first incident involving Parihar. In November 2024, he allegedly fired at police personnel in his native Dairi village before absconding, which led the Sagar Zone Inspector General of Police to announce a reward of Rs 30,000 for information leading to his arrest. Later in November 2024, while being arrested by Matguwan police, Parihar reportedly tried to snatch a service revolver during a toilet break and fired at the policemen before being shot in the leg. Recently, he allegedly opened fire on police teams from five police stations near Deri Road and escaped.

The police had arrested Parihar after a brief encounter and admitted him to the district hospital’s prisoner ward for treatment, from which he managed to escape. The fact that the accused also took a police rifle with him is a major concern for the police.