Pune Police Seek Sanction to Prosecute Former Sassoon Hospital Dean in Lalit Patil Escape Case
Pune, 13th January 2024: The Pune police have presented a proposal to the state government, requesting authorization to prosecute former Dean of Sassoon General Hospital, Sanjeev Thakur, in connection with the escape case of drug kingpin Lalit Patil from the hospital on October 2, 2023.
ACP (Crime) Sunil Tambe said, “Inspector Nandakumar Bidwai from the Crime Branch (Unit II), leading the investigation into the escape case, submitted a proposal on January 5. The proposal seeks sanction from the competent authority, the Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER) at Mantralaya, to prosecute Thakur under section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).”
Dr. Dinesh Waghmare, Director of DMER, declined to comment on the Pune police’s proposal.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ramnath Pokale added, “We have gathered sufficient evidence indicating the involvement of the former dean in the escape case. Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot disclose the details of the evidence at this point. Thakur has been booked under bailable offenses with punishments below seven years under the Indian Penal Code.”
