In yet another case of shocking administrative oversight, an accused child rapist walked out of Neemka Jail in Faridabad simply because prison officials mistook him for a different inmate with a similar name. This shocking incident that occurred on May 26 has prompted the government to take punitive decisions against five jail staff members for what appears to be glaring verification lapses within the jail system.

Inmates Who Share Both Name and Fate

The mix-up involved two men:

Nitish Kumar Pandey (27), and Nitesh, 24, became inmates and were incarcerated at the same time. Nitesh was charged for repeatedly raping a nine-year-old boy in 2021. He was booked under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) section) and has been in jail since then.

Nitesh was recently picked up in Shastri Colony in Faridabad on May 24 for an extremely minor case of house trespass and assault. He goes by just the single name “Nitesh.” As per available information, both men happened to state ‘Ravinder’ as their father’s name. A detail that would prove central to the costly confusion. For whatever reason, the name of father became relevant in this mix of blunders.

“There were lapses at several levels. Pandey’s address was listed as Kalyanpur village, in Paliganj block of Patna, Bihar while the other’s address was Shastri Colony, Faridabad. Yet verification of identity and address was clearly skipped,” the officer said. “The fact that both men listed their father’s name as Ravinder seems to have caused confusion—and Pandey appears to have exploited it.”

A Routine Bail Turns into a Shocking Blunder

On May 26, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Faridabad granted bail to the younger Nitesh in the assault case. His release was set for the next day. But when jail authorities started the release procedures, they mistakenly selected the rape accused Nitish Pandey, instead of the actual defendant Nitesh who was set free.

Staff members disregarded checking age, address, aliases, charges, spelling, differences. They mistakenly placed their trust on the father’s name and set Pandey free, who immediately made off without a trace.

Mistake Comes to Light Two Days Later

The error remained unnoticed until the real Nitesh who was still behind bars, began asking why he hadn’t been released despite a valid bail order. A hasty records check was done, activating the alarm bells, confirming with horror that the wrong inmate had been set free.

Police sources revealed that although there was ample proof of identity discrepancies like address for each and their crimes being completely opposite. “Careless procedures were in place to verify addresses which were mandated were ignored.”

An officer later commented “Basic identity checks were omitted. It is clear all procedural care was skipped altogether in processing for release”. “As per procedure, Nitesh was to be released from jail on Tuesday. But instead, jail authorities freed Nitesh Pandey, the rape accused, who then vanished,” said a senior Faridabad police officer familiar with the case.

Action Taken Against Jail Staff

Following an internal investigation led by Jail Superintendent Harendra Singh, five jail staff members were suspended:

1. Assistant Superintendent Mohanlal

2. Deputy Superintendent Pradeep Tyagi

3. Head Constable Rajendra

4. Wardens Sanjeev and Rajesh

The authorities acknowledged multiple lapses, including failure to cross-check names, addresses, and the nature of the charges.

New FIR, Police launches Manhunt

A new FIR has been registered against Nitish Pandey for impersonation and hindering the course of justice. Police have started a manhunt and have already dispatched a team to Bihar in an attempt to locate him. As confirmed by SHO Umesh Kumar of Sadar Ballabhgarh police station, Pandey’s family claims they do not know where he is.

Authorities are looking into the possibility of collusion as well. “We are looking through the CCTV to see if jail staff assisted in the escape. We are not discarding anything,” added an officer.

System Overhaul Promised

After a long wait for the real Nitesh to escape from the legal limbo, he was freed, and swore up and down that moving forward imprisoning individuals labeled ‘dangerous’ would result in stricter verification procedures during releases.

His escape not only showcased the severe gaps in jail administration but served as a lesson of how oversight in seemingly unimportant details can possess enormous gravity when it comes to the justice system.