An official at the courts said the woman paid regular visits and often sat through case hearings. “She is known to have handed over money and letters to Chhatrapal on several earlier occasions,” the official said.

A similar ‘exchange’ took place in the courts on Monday too, say eyewitnesses: she gave Chhatrapal money and he, in turn, handed over a letter and a greeting card. But unlike earlier instances, when she would sit through the hearing, the woman made a quick exit this time round, say those who saw her on Monday.

Police officials suspect it was during this exchange that she handed over a duplicate key for his handcuffs. That, in effect, means she knew of the escape plan, said a police officer who did not want his name on print.

The police yesterday began surveillance of his girlfriend’s house in Preet Vihar with the help of Delhi Police. Today, officials said they are also keeping eyes on another of Chhatrapal’s friends, who stays in Sector-15A here. Sources said this woman worked earlier as a domestic help for a senior Delhi Police officer.

Officials in Dasna Jail, however, say the woman — she came in a saree, with her face veiled — was his sister-in-law, who came to meet Chhatrapal often in jail. “The last time she came here was about a month or so ago,” a jail official said.

Officials from Dasna Jail said she was also quite “friendly” with the constables escorting Chhatrapal that day.

Raids on
The police have, meanwhile, formed seven teams, most of them led by Special Operations Group officers, to trace Chhatrapal. More than 10 locations have been raided in the past 48 hours, though with no success, SP (City) Paresh Pandey said.

“Raids have been conducted in Etah, Agra, Mathura and many areas of Greater Noida and Delhi,” he said.

Pandey said the police have alerted all their sources and passed on specific instructions. “We are also interrogating the other two accused (Jitendra and Pawan, lodged in Dasna Jail),” Pandey said.

A team has also been deployed in Bailana, Chhatrapal’s native village in Greater Noida. At least 10 of Chhatrapal’s family members have been detained for questioning, the police said. They suspect he could be hiding somewhere in Kakod or Rabupura areas of Greater Noida. Meanwhile, V K Gupta, Inspector-General of Meerut Zone, also arrived in Noida on Tuesday night to look after the probe’s progress, sources said.