Pune: A convicted prisoner serving a life sentence has escaped from the open prison in Yerwada. The escaped prisoner, identified as Atmaram alias Atmya Ladkya Bhavar, is currently being sought by the police.

Bhavar is originally from Devipada village in Wada taluka, Palghar district. In 2009, he committed a murder in his hometown, leading to his conviction and sentencing to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs. 2,000 by the Shahapur Police Station. The court had stipulated an additional six-month imprisonment if the fine was not paid.

Due to his good behavior, Bhavar was transferred to the open prison, where inmates are assigned agricultural work. On Saturday, Bhavar was present in the open prison throughout the day.

However, during the evening roll call at around 5 PM conducted by guard Tausif Syed, Bhavar was found missing. The prison guards conducted a search but could not locate him.

Subsequently, Hemant Patil, an officer at Yerawada Prison, filed a report at the Yerawada Police Station. The police are currently searching for Bhavar, with Police Naik Jadhav leading the investigation.

Recently, a prisoner at Yerawada Jail was attacked by three fellow inmates on June 14, allegedly over suspicions of leaking information to a rival group.

The incident has led to the filing of a case against the three accused inmates: Shrikant Rajendra Kale, Sanjay Harish Bhosale, and Akash Mangesh Saswade.

The altercation occurred at Barrack No. 1 in the CJ section of Yerawada Jail. The victim, Yogesh Jagdish Sonawane, was inside the barrack when he was called outside by the accused trio. They accused him of passing information to a rival group and then physically assaulted him with kicks and punches.