Pune: Undertrial Accused in POCSO Case Escapes From Sassoon Hospital ICU Using Bamboo Scaffold

Pune, Maharashtra (January 20, 2026): A26-year-old undertrial prisoner arrested in a sexual offence case escaped from the intensive care unit of the government-run Sassoon General Hospital on Monday evening. The accused, identified as Sunny Kuchekar, is facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and was lodged at Yerwada Central Jail.

According to the reports, Kuchekar was taken to Sassoon Hospital for a medical check-up after he complained of ill health on Monday afternoon. While at the hospital, he reportedly suffered an epileptic seizure and was shifted to the ICU on the second floor, where he was given intravenous medication.

Police personnel were deployed outside the ICU during his treatment. At around 5 p.m., Kuchekar went to the washroom and escaped after removing glass panes and climbing down using a bamboo structure erected along the building wall for ongoing construction work.

The escape came to light when the accused did not return to his bed for a long time. When hospital staff forced open the washroom door, they found that he had fled. Multiple police teams have been formed to trace and arrest the accused.  

(With inputs  from agencies)