Four juvenile inmates of a government-run observation home in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district allegedly strangled a 40-year-old watchman escaped from the facility in the early hours of Monday, police said.

The incident took place at around 2 am at the observation home under Sarkanda police station limits. Police said a search operation was launched after the matter came to light at around 8 am, and a detailed investigation is under way.

Bilaspur Senior Superintendent of Police Rajnesh Singh identified the victim as Narendra Kumar Khande, a resident of Araiband village in the district’s Takhatpur area, who was employed as a watchman at the residential facility housing minors alleged to have violated the law.

According to the preliminary investigation, four juvenile inmates assaulted Khande, tied his hands and legs, stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth and strangled him to death before fleeing the home, Singh said. Three of the absconding juveniles are from Raigarh district, while the fourth is from Korba district. All four had been lodged at the facility in connection with serious criminal cases, he said.

“The motive behind the murder was yet to be ascertained. Prima facie, it appears the juveniles demanded keys of the remand home gates from the watchman with the intention of escaping. When he refused, they overpowered him, killed him and fled,” Singh said.

Forensic experts examined the crime scene along with a dog squad and collected evidence. Police are also checking CCTV footage for clues, the officer said. The incident comes weeks after 11 juveniles escaped from a government-run observation home in Surguja district on June 23 after taking advantage of heavy rain and a power outage.

Police said four juveniles are on the run after the killing of the watchman at the Bilaspur observation home, and efforts are on to trace them while the investigation continues.

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Published By:

India Today Web Desk

Published On:

Jul 13, 2026 22:00 IST