2 min readMumbaiApr 9, 2026 05:46 PM IST
Two days after a dramatic escape from a city sessions court, a 47-year-old accused has been re-arrested by police in the Vasai-Virar area following a public disturbance.
The accused, identified as Harrison Joseph, had earlier been arrested in January 2025 in connection with an attempted murder case and booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
According to police, the incident occurred on Tuesday when Joseph was being escorted from Arthur Road Jail to the sessions court for a hearing. Constable Prashant Kamble was taking him to the court lock-up as proceedings had yet to begin. Around 3 pm, on the third floor of the court building, Joseph allegedly pushed the constable, broke free, and fled the premises.
Following the escape, Kamble registered a case at Colaba police station under Section 262 (resisting arrest or escaping from lawful custody) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A search operation was launched, but Joseph had already fled the city.
The breakthrough came on Thursday when constable Dinesh Sanap and Maharashtra Security Force personnel Akshay Desai, who were on patrol duty, spotted a man creating a ruckus outside the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation office. A crowd had gathered as the individual allegedly refused to pay for tea and water and threatened a stall owner.
When confronted, the man behaved aggressively and refused to cooperate, prompting the officers to detain him and take him to Tulinj police station for questioning. During sustained interrogation, he revealed his identity as Harrison Joseph, a resident of Crawford Market. Police subsequently confirmed that he was the same accused who had escaped custody earlier this week.
Investigations further revealed that Joseph, along with two accomplices, had allegedly fired an airgun at a bag seller, Raju Shaikh, in Crawford Market in March 2024 after the latter refused to pay a ransom demand. Shaikh sustained injuries to his shoulder in the attack.
Story continues below this ad
Joseph had been booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), along with other relevant provisions of law. He is a native of Kerala.
Source link
#MCOCA #accused #escaped #Mumbai #court #rearrested #VasaiVirar
