Surat: A 35-year-old Bangladeshi woman housed at the Amboli Jananidham Women’s Shelter Home in Kamrej escaped on Tuesday afternoon by climbing down from the roof using a pipe and jumping over the boundary wall, prompting a police search.

According to police sources, 17 women accused in various cases were housed at the shelter. During lunchtime on Tuesday, staff noticed that only 16 women were present and one meal plate remained untouched. A headcount confirmed that one inmate, identified as Najma Begum, was missing. CCTV footage later showed her descending from the terrace using a pipe before fleeing the premises.

Najma Begum, originally from Bagirhat district in Bangladesh, had been arrested by the Surat Varachha police six months ago and was sent to the Amboli shelter by court order.

This is the third such escape involving Bangladeshi women in the Kamrej area. In earlier incidents in 2022 and 2024, four Bangladeshi women housed at the Ghaludi Headquarters Shelter Home managed to evade police surveillance and flee late at night. They were traced and arrested within hours from locations in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Kamrej police have registered a new case in connection with the latest escape and have launched a search operation to trace the absconding woman.