Three juveniles detained in separate murder cases escaped from the safety house of the juvenile observation home in Faridabad’s NIT-5 area on Saturday evening after allegedly removing a rusted iron grille from a bathroom window, prompting a police search and an inquiry into security lapses at the facility.
The escape was discovered at about 10 pm during the home’s routine headcount, when staff found that three teenagers were missing. The administration then informed NIT police, which began searching the safety house and surrounding areas. Police teams and the crime branch are investigating the route taken by the juveniles and checking their possible destinations and contacts.
According to the complaint submitted by the observation home, the three juveniles reached a bathroom on the ground floor. The iron grille fitted to its window was reportedly in a deteriorated condition because of rust. The teenagers allegedly loosened it by moving it repeatedly and then removed it to get out towards a Municipal Corporation nursery located on the other side of the window. The report said no security guard was present at the spot when they left.
The three juveniles, all reportedly around 17 years old, had been held at the safety house for nearly three years in separate murder cases. One is from Gurugram, another from Nuh and the third from Hisar district. Police are examining CCTV footage to establish the direction in which they fled and to identify their possible movements after leaving the facility.
NIT station house officer Mahavir said police had received a complaint from the juvenile observation home. Investigators are examining how the window grille could be removed so easily and where security personnel were stationed at the time of the escape. Search teams have been deployed in the surrounding areas, while officers are also checking the juveniles’ likely routes and contacts.
The incident has brought renewed attention to security arrangements at the facility. In 2016, five juveniles escaped from the same district observation home after allegedly holding a head warden captive and locking him inside a room. The report said no security guard was present during that incident either, although police later apprehended all five.
The NIT-5 safety house accommodates juveniles involved in serious offences and older juveniles transferred from districts across Haryana. Its stated capacity is about 200 inmates. Another safety house has been completed in Hisar, according to the report. Police were continuing to examine CCTV footage and conduct searches for the three missing juveniles.
