A man accused of trying to rape two minors ran away from police custody while being taken to court on Thursday morning, only to be recaptured in the evening.

Residents had caught Guddu Babu Singh for allegedly trying to rape two minors in the Rahmanpur area under Malsalami police station on Wednesday and handed him over to the police. Guddu is a resident of Begumpur under Bypass police station.

Two constables, identified as Kapil Prasad and Bhim Prasad, were accompanying the prisoner to Patna City civil court around 10am when Guddu gave the cops a slip in an area barely 100m from the police station.

“The constables had taken Guddu to the bus stand to catch an autorickshaw to the court. The lean man took advantage of the crowded area, freed himself of the handcuffs and escaped,” D.N. Rai, the Malsalami police station house officer, told The Telegraph. Guddu’s re-arrest around 6 in the evening came as a face-saver for the cops.

“Guddu has been re-arrested after the police surrounded the entire area. He is booked under sections 376 and 511 of the IPC,” said deputy superintendent of police (DSP) (Patna City) Sushil Kumar.

Senior police officers said action would be taken against the policemen concerned.

“The matter will be probed thoroughly and a proposal will be sent to the higher officers for action against such negligence,” the DSP added.

The police station has two vehicles, but it was not clear as to why Guddu was to be taken to court in public transport. Sources said Guddu had ecaped from the police station. “The man was brought out of the lock-up and was being handcuffed when he ran away before the policemen could react,” a source told The Telegraph.

On June 17 last year, a convict lodged at Munger Jail had been brought to Patna Medical College and Hospital for treatment. He fled the hotel where the police had put him up.

Of late, the police have been facing heat for tripping on most fronts, including tackling crime, providing adequate security to rural banks and managing traffic.