7 escape from juvenile care home after tying up guard

JODHPUR: In what's said to be the first such instance, the Jodhpur police have filed a criminal case against seven teenage offenders who escaped from a juvenile home after tying up the guard on Sunday night.
Six of them were, however, caught by the police and brought back to the home. One of them is still absconding.
According to ACP (Mandore) B S Lakhawat, seven teens, aged 15 to 17 years and accused of rape, looting and burglary, had fled from the juvenile home after tying up a lonely guard in the bathroom.
"They first called the guard to their room, overpowered him, tied his hands and legs and pushed him into the bathroom before fleeing from the home," said Lakhawat, adding that six of them were caught and brought back by morning.
Usually, cases are not registered against juveniles, who flee from juvenile homes, under the Juvenile Justice Act.
But since they beat up the guard, overpowered him and tied him, a case has been registered by the police against the seven.
According to Lakhawat, two of them are from Bilara and were admitted to the juvenile home barely three days back on charges of dacoity. The entire escape bid was planned by them, he said.
The seventh absconding juvenile is fleeing the home for the third time. He belongs to Balesar near Jodhpur and is accused of burglary.
Meanwhile, the social justice and empowerment department has initiated an inquiry into the matter. District magistrate Vishnu Charan Mallik, who visited the juvenile home on Monday, said that directions have been given to the department to initiate an inquiry and find out how the teens managed to escape.
He, however, expressed satisfaction over measures taken by the juvenile home in complying with high court directions, but took note of the fact that the caretaker was not present at the home at night.
"Though there is a guard and a caretaker, we recommend one more guard for the juvenile home to prevent such incidents in future," Mallik said.
Interestingly, 18 juvenile offenders have fled in a year despite the so-called ‘satisfactory measures' taken by the home. Though, most of them were apprehended and brought back, nearly six of them are still absconding.