A woman arrested for allegedly carrying banned pharmaceutical drugs escaped from the Falakata police station in Alipurduar district on Wednesday morning.
The police have launched an extensive search in two districts to nab Mumtaj Sultan.
Sources said Sultan had been arrested by the Falakata police on Monday and was booked under the NDPS Act.
On Tuesday, she was produced in the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Alipurduar and remanded in police custody for three days.
Around 7.50am on Wednesday, Mumtaj returned from the washroom and said that she was feeling unwell.
The on-duty sentry and a civic volunteer asked her to rest inside the child-friendly corner of the police station, an area usually meant for juveniles and vulnerable individuals.
“Mumtaj sat there for some time, and as the police personnel got a bit distracted, she dashed out of the police station and fled the area,” said a source.
The police immediately launched a search to nab her.
The incident has led to questions about the laxity and negligence on the part of the on-duty police personnel at the police station.
Y. Raghuvamshi, the superintendent of police of Alipurduar, confirmed the escape of an arrested woman. "An undertrial has escaped from the Falakata police station. We have launched a thorough search and are putting in all efforts to trace and arrest her,” said the SP.
Prasanta Debnath, the subdivisional police officer of Jaigaon, has been assigned the task of investigating the escape and bringing Mumtaj back into custody.
All police stations in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts have been alerted, and surveillance has been increased at the checkpoints.