Theft accused escapes from police lock-up in Thane

A theft case accused has escaped from a police lock-up in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said. The incident took place at the Navghar police station on Sunday morning. The accused, Abdul Wajidli Maniyar, a resident of Azad Nagar in Bhayander area, was arrested on Saturday night in a case of theft at a house in Navghar locality. He escaped from the lock-up at 9.19 am on Sunday when the routine cleaning of the premises was underway, an official from Navghar police station said. Efforts were on to trace the accused, he said. The circumstances under which he managed to escape were being examined, and an inquiry was initiated to ascertain whether there was any lapse in security or supervision, the official said.