A shocking security breach at a juvenile observation home in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur has raised serious questions over institutional safety after four juveniles allegedly murdered a night watchman and escaped from the facility just before they were scheduled to be shifted to a regular prison. Authorities have launched a multi-agency investigation into the incident, while police teams are conducting raids to trace the absconding accused.

The incident occurred at the Special Home under the Juvenile Observation Home in Bilaspur, where the four youths, all accused in serious criminal cases committed when they were minors, had been lodged. Officials said they had recently attained adulthood and preparations were underway to transfer them to jail following legal procedures.

Escape Allegedly Planned in Advance

Preliminary investigation indicates that the escape was carefully planned. Although the four inmates had been assigned separate rooms, investigators found they gathered in a single room on the night of the incident, suggesting prior coordination.

According to police, the group allegedly called the watchman to open the room before overpowering him. They reportedly assaulted him, tied his hands and legs, strangled him and stuffed a cloth into his mouth, resulting in his death.

The deceased has been identified as Narendra Kumar Khande (40), a contractual night watchman from Araiband village in Takhatpur, who had been working at the observation home for nearly a year.

Body Found Hours Later

Officials believe the crime took place between 11 pm and midnight on Sunday. However, the body remained on the first floor throughout the night and was discovered only on Monday morning when another security guard went upstairs.

Police said the accused then removed barbed wire installed on the rooftop, used a wooden ladder to scale the boundary wall and escaped from the premises after taking another watchman's motorcycle.

CCTV Recorder Missing

During forensic examination, investigators found that the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) linked to the facility's CCTV surveillance system was also missing.

Police suspect the juveniles deliberately removed the DVR while fleeing to erase crucial evidence. Forensic experts have inspected the crime scene, while efforts are underway to recover surveillance data and reconstruct the sequence of events.

Search Operations Underway

Multiple police teams have been formed to locate the four absconding accused. Raids are being conducted at their suspected hideouts and locations linked to their families and acquaintances.

According to investigators, all four had been lodged in the observation home in connection with serious offences, including murder, robbery, theft, sexual assault and assault, committed when they were juveniles.

Family Protests, Demands Action

The victim's family staged a protest outside the observation home, refusing to allow the body to be shifted for post-mortem until their demands were addressed.

Family members submitted a 12-point memorandum seeking adequate compensation, government jobs for two family members, financial support for dependents, a high-level inquiry and strict departmental action against officials responsible for alleged negligence.

The protest continued late into the night, with relatives, including women and children, remaining at the observation home premises.

Transfer Delay Under Scrutiny

The victim's family also alleged administrative negligence, claiming that Narendra Khande had already been transferred to another posting but was never formally relieved from duty.

According to the family, he had recently approached senior departmental authorities requesting early release from his existing assignment. They believe that timely implementation of the transfer order could have prevented the tragedy.

Police and district administration are now examining whether lapses in supervision, security protocols and staff deployment contributed to the incident.

Investigation Continues

Authorities are probing multiple aspects of the case, including how inmates from separate rooms managed to gather unnoticed, why security checks failed during the night, and how the accused accessed the rooftop and escaped with a vehicle.

The incident has triggered fresh concerns over security arrangements and monitoring mechanisms inside juvenile correctional institutions across the state.