Hardcore criminal arrested over stolen judiciary vehicle escapes from hospital
A hardcore criminal, who was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital after he violently robbed a driver of a Toyota Fortuner and got involved in a serious accident last weekend, has escaped from the hospital where he was handcuffed while bedridden.
The criminal, identified as Duncan Daud and is on the wanted list in relation to violent robbery cases of motor vehicles in the country, escaped in the wee hours of Thursday.
Daud got involved in an accident at Mdeka along the M1 road as he tried to avoid hitting an overcoming vehicle whilst in the course of overtaking two long vehicles.
He had to be pulled out of the windscreen by well-wishers who rushed him to the referral hospital’s Intensive Care Unit before being transferred to Surgical Ward (5A), bed number 27.
When Nyasa Times visited the ward Thursday evening found the handcuff still hanging on the bed where suspect was bedridden.
No patient in the ward could provide concrete details as to how the suspect managed to escape while cuffed to the bed.
However, some patients speculated he must have gotten the key for the handcuff from some police officer who could be part of the robbery.
“We just saw the man walking out of the ward in company of his girlfriend. We really don’t how he managed to unlock the handcuff.
“No police officer has turned up to check whether he is around or not,” said one of the patients (name withheld).
Daud, who comes from Chapola village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiwala in Machinga, was recently released from Zomba Maximum Prison where he was serving his sentence after committing a similar offence.
The Toyota Fortuner which belongs to the Judicial Department registration number MG 462 AC was stolen at HHI by three unknown people criminals.
Hospital official declined to comment on the matter.
Efforts to get hold of Southern Region Police Publicist Nicolas Gondwa, who on Tuesday told local media that the suspect was “critically injured especially in the head and had to be pulled out of the damaged car through its windscreen”, proved futile .
The bed having the handcuff has since been given to another patient.
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