The escape routes of criminals in the state capital would narrow down soon.

Police have identified total 30 exit routes in Patna and at its suburbs. All of them would be sealed in a jiffy if criminals strike in the state capital.

Patna city superintendent of police (SP) Jayant Kant told The Telegraph the identified exit routes of criminals would be checked thoroughly. Cops of different police stations of Patna district would be asked to move to the points and seal them in a mock drill.

“Altogether 30 points — 15 in the Patna town area (inner circle) and 15 in the suburbs (outer circle) — have been identified through which anyone can get in and out of the city. Our plan is to identify all such routes and introduce a system under which they can be sealed simultaneously.

“The police will conduct some mock drills to come out with a system under which the cops can move in and seal all the points at one go so that moving out of the capital becomes an impossible task for criminals. If required, police personnel would be deployed at the entry and exit points,” the officer told The Telegraph.

Patna witnessed many shootouts involving sharp shooters in the recent past. But the contract killers managed to get out of the state capital after committing the crimes.

Two of the three contract killers involved in the murder of liquor trader Saket Kumar Gupta on May 7 were arrested by chance soon after the incident while they were trying to flee. The duo were nabbed from the Kankerbagh area, close to Patna Bypass leading to Vaishali and Ranchi.

Criminals, sources said, often take the New Bypass Road to flee. It connects to the Zero Mile, from where a person can go to places like Chhapra, Gaya and even New Delhi.

The road towards Danapur is also taken by the criminals. It connects the state capital with rural areas like Barh and Mokama. Anybody can go to districts like Begusarai and Lakhisarai using the road.

Besides identifying the escape routes of criminals, the police have decided to tighten security of the city by splitting it into five zones — A, B, C, D and E — based on the reports from the police stations.

The SP said: “The police cannot divulge the areas but it is true that the capital has been divided into five zones. We are also trying to introduce the system of regular and sudden checking.”

Kant said all the roundabouts of the state capital, irrespective of their size, would have at least two policemen at any given time. The move is aimed at maintaining strict vigil at busy areas.

“The police have to mobilise their existing resources. We are working in that direction,” the officer said, adding that the number of quick mobiles would not be increased for now.