This was the timeline how Usmani escaped from court:
1:15 pm. First jail van arrives from Taloja carrying eight of the 23 accused including Usmani. They are escorted by 10 policemen and an ASI of Navi Mumbai police.
1:20 pm: Special public prosecutor tells court that the second jail van is on its way from Arthur Road jail. As the remaining accused are yet to arrive, the judge orders framing of charges after lunch at 2:45 pm.
1:45 pm: The remaining 15 accused arrive from Arthur Road jail. All 23 are made to wait in the corridor outside the courtroom on the third floor. None of the accused were in handcuffs or restrained by policemen in any way.
2 pm to 2:45 pm: Four or five of the accused stay back in the corridor as their families had brought them lunch. The rest were taken downstairs. There were no cctv cameras to show whether Usmani was among them.
3 pm: After lunch, the accused were taken back to the courtroom. Suddenly, Inspector Ajay Sawant told the special public prosecutor that one of the prisoners was missing. The prosecutor informed the judge, who conducted a role call. Afzal Usmani, accused number 1 in the case, was found missing.
3:15 pm: The constable accompanying Usmani was called and asked to explain. The constable said he does not exactly when Usmani escaped. Police believe, he escaped from the third floor corridor at 1:30 pm just before lunch.
4 pm: The court defers framing of charges till Sept 25 and issues arrest warrant against Usmani.
By this time, two and a half hours of precious time had elapsed and Usmani was a free bird.
