The Pune police have arrested Dr Pravin Devkate, Sassoon General Hospital's medical officer, in connection with the case of drug racketeer Lalit Patil's escape from the government-run facility, an official said on Tuesday.
Investigations have revealed that Devkate was in constant touch with Patil through another accused during the drug racketeer's stay at the facility, the official said. He had allegedly facilitated Patil's escape from the hospital, he added.
Patil, who was wanted in a multi-crore mephedrone seizure case, escaped from the Sassoon Hospital on October 2 when he was taken for an X-ray. He was apprehended in Bengaluru on October 17, more than two weeks after his escape.
The police on Monday arrested Dr Sanjay Kashinath Marsale, the chief medical officer of Yerawada Central Jail, in the case under section 223 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by public servant) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.
According to the police, Marsale had allegedly gone out of the way to shift Patil from the jail to Sassoon Hospital on the pretext of treatment.
As many as 13 people have been arrested in the case so far.
The Pune city police on September 30 arrested a man from outside the Sassoon General Hospital with mephedrone worth ₹2 crore.
A probe into it led to the arrest of a hospital canteen staffer who revealed the contraband was supplied by Patil, the jail inmate admitted at the hospital at the time.
Patil, however, escaped from the hospital on October 2, leading to the suspension of nine police personnel.
Patil was wanted in connection with the seizure of mephedrone worth ₹300 crore in a two-month-long operation, which included a raid at a drug manufacturing unit in Nashik.
