Three Pakistani nationals, who were arrested in connection with blasts near the Red Fort nine years ago, have escaped, leaving red faced the authorities which sounded a red alert in the national capital and neighbouring areas. Meanwhile, the Delhi police has announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for any information on the three escaped terrorists.

The incident took place yesterday when Abdul Razzak, Mohammed Sadiq and Rafaqat Ali were being escorted to a hospital for treatment by Meghalaya police personnel who were on deputation to the Delhi Police’s Special Branch, official sources said.

The three, who were convicted under the Narcotic, Drug and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act for possession of heroin, were to be deported to Pakistan on completion of their sentence. No other charge against the trio could be substantiated.

Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat claimed the three Pakistanis, who were in detention of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), escaped while returning from a medical check-up at a hospital.

Initially, the Delhi Police claimed the three were being treated at G B Pant Hospital but had to withdraw it within minutes after the hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Shashi Gururaj said the three had not come to the hospital.

“We have screened the list of patients who visited our hospital for treatment. Neither today nor yesterday nor in the last one month, any of those terrorists was found to have been brought to our hospital for treatment,” the Hospital’s Medical Superintendent said.

Later, Delhi Police clarified that the three were being taken to Guru Nanak Eye Hospital.

FRRO denied it had anything to do with the three Pakistanis saying the custody of such prisoners was always with the Special Branch of the Delhi Police.

After the escape, Delhi Police registered a fresh case against the trio for violating the restraint order of the Foreigners Act, a senior police official said.

Home Ministry officials said a red alert was sounded in Delhi and adjoining areas to nab the fleeing terrorists.

The three were arrested on October 30, 2000, from Rothak and Delhi along with five other Pakistani nationals and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including 17kg of high-grade RDX and 50kg of heroin, was recovered from them. The other five accused arrested with them were Kamaal alias Billa, Riaz, Akhtar, Jameel, Aslam.

Manu Sharma, convicted of Jessica Lall’s murder has voluntarily surrendered to Tihar jail authorities on Tuesday (November 10) following intense public and media scrutiny on his activities since he was granted parole by the Delhi government..

The DG, Tihar Jail confirmed today that Sharma had indeed surrendered in Jail No 2 of Tihar at about 11:30 am. “I have been told that half an hour back that Manu Sharma voluntarily surrendered prior to the expiry of his parole. He surrendered at Jail No 2 where he was lodged.” Sharma who had received an extension of parole, is back in solitary confinement.

Manu Sharma appears to have misused his parole since he was seen at a night club recently while he had stated the reason for parole as being to attend to his business and to take care of his sick mother. Not only was his mother later found to be in good health, but Sharma while partying at a nightclub also picked up a fight.

Senior counselor Majid Memon said: “He (Manu Sharma) has been advised by his lawyers to surrender, in a decision probably to silence those making a big hue and cry. If a person has taken some facility for attending his relative’s illness – he is not expected to be sitting with him for all 30 days – there is no prohibition on his going to a restaurant. However he is certainly not expected to behave in a disorderly manner and for that he is liable and his parole could be cancelled. He however may use his surrender to his own advantage showing the Supreme Court that he chose to waive his parole which is a good thing.”

Delhi police now say that they were never consulted before parole was granted to Sharma – and that they would never have allowed it since he is a public nuisance and has a history of disorderly conduct while released on bail. He was released on bail in 2002 and subsequently got into a brawl in his own bar in Chandigarh. There has been speculation whether there was political might working behind him to allow him parole.

The issue generated a lot of negative reactions among the public and intense mass media scrutiny. A private news channel even spoke to actor Arjun Rampal who confirmed that Sharma had been seen at a bar owned by him. Police also confirmed that Sharma got into a tiff with a senior police officer’s son in another bar – ‘F Bar’ in the capital on the same night.

Delhi police has now reportedly obtained CCTV footage of Sharma in the bar which could go against him in future if he tries to apply for bail again. The Apex court has already rejected one bail application in May last year.

Reacting to Sharma’s surrender, Jessica’s sister Sabrina Lall said public scrutiny had led to the move, adding if the reports had not been carried by the media Sharma’s parole would probably have been further extended. She said there had to be stringent rules governing granting of parole. She said Sharma seemed to have used his money and muscle power to get special treatment.

“I hope there have been some lessons learnt from this. For people like him there should be a lot more investigations done before granting parole. It is disappointing that time and again history repeats itself and we have to constantly fight to keep him behind bars. It seems like this will happen again as the boy will try every trick in the book to get out whenever he can.”

“The Media and public has had its say and I am happy. Criminal justice laws need to be change and this is a slow process that may get us to that,” said Bina Ramani, owner of Tamarind Bar where Jessica Lall was shot in cold blood by Sharma.