Chandigarh: A man arrested by the Khanna CIA in a heroin seizure case allegedly escaped from police custody after he and his relatives threw red chilli powder into the eyes of police personnel during a search of his Sector 38 residence on Friday evening.The accused, Deepak Thapa, a resident of Sector 38, was arrested by the Khanna CIA on Aug 26 based on information obtained during the interrogation of another accused, who was allegedly found in possession of around 500 grams of heroin.According to a complaint filed by the Khanna CIA team with Maloya police, Thapa revealed during questioning that the heroin was concealed at his residence. Acting on this information, a CIA team took him, in handcuffs, to his house around 6pm on Friday to recover the contraband.Punjab Police personnel alleged that after entering the house, Thapa requested permission to use the bathroom and asked the officers to remove his handcuffs. As soon as the restraints were removed, he allegedly joined hands with his relatives and threw red chilli powder into the eyes of the policemen accompanying him.Caught off guard by the sudden attack and resulting confusion, the police personnel were unable to prevent Thapa from fleeing the spot.Following the incident, the Khanna CIA team informed Maloya police and lodged a formal complaint. A case has been registered against Thapa and others allegedly involved in helping him escape. Police teams have launched a search operation to trace the accused.The incident has also raised questions about coordination between Punjab Police and Chandigarh Police during inter-state investigations. According to Maloya police, the Khanna CIA team did not inform the local police station before bringing the accused to Chandigarh and conducting the search at his residence. Local police were reportedly informed only after Thapa had escaped from custody.Police records indicate that Thapa has a criminal history and has previously been named in cases under the NDPS Act, Arms Act and a murder case. He has reportedly been jailed multiple times.His name has also surfaced in investigations involving Nigerian nationals arrested with heroin in Chandigarh.Police are now conducting raids at Thapa’s suspected hideouts and questioning persons who may have provided him shelter or assistance after the escape. Investigators are also trying to determine how the accused managed to evade the police team and whether others played a role in facilitating his escape.
