In a scene straight out of a crime thriller, a murder-accused under judicial custody managed to escape from Prachin Hospital in Panvel on Friday, leaving the police red-faced. The accused, identified as Rajkumar Mhatre, had been admitted for treatment under police supervision. Mhatre was arrested last month in an attempt-to-murder case registered at Khutali, Taloja, and was being treated for undisclosed ailments.

According to police sources, Mhatre gave officers the slip sometime on Friday while still admitted in the hospital. His disappearance went unnoticed until a routine check revealed he was missing. The incident has sparked outrage and embarrassment among authorities, with questions raised over how a judicial custody prisoner could vanish from a private hospital without anyone noticing.