Karnal, May 30 -- A criminal identified as Gurjeet Singh, injured in a shootout with the police on Monday while undergoing treatment at district civil hospital, escaped from police custody on Friday night.

The accused, a Delhi native, was admitted in ward 314 of the hospital and was being treated for bullet injuries sustained in the shootout.

While the police offered no official comment, sources said he escaped in the presence of about four officers, taking advantage of the darkness during a brief power outage caused by a thunderstorm.

Officiating principal medical officer (PMO), Karnal district civil hospital, Dr Balwan Singh, said the accused had been admitted since the night of May 25 due to a bullet injury he suffered during the en...