Five youths undergoing treatment at an unauthorised private de-addiction centre in Bajeke village, under the Dharamkot subdivision of Moga district, escaped after scaling the centre’s boundary wall and later snatched a car from a passerby on the Moga-Dharamkot road.According to police, the inmates had pre-planned their escape. They allegedly misled the centre’s staff, breached security arrangements and jumped over the boundary wall to flee the premises.After reaching the main road, the group created a commotion and forcibly stopped a white Innova. They threatened the driver, Gulshan Kumar, a resident of Chand Purana village, dragged him out of the vehicle and fled in the car after pushing him to the ground.On receiving information, the police rushed to the spot and recorded statements of the victim and the centre’s staff.Meanwhile, the police arrested one of the escapees, identified as Gurjit Singh, and recovered the stolen vehicle from his possession. The car was traced using CCTV footage from toll plazas and key intersections.During the probe, authorities found that the facility was operating illegally from a secluded farmhouse located amid agricultural fields. Officials said the centre lacked mandatory registration, trained medical staff and basic amenities.While five inmates managed to escape due to poor security, a joint team of the police and the Health Department rescued eight other youths allegedly confined at the centre and sent them to a health department-operated de-addiction centre at Janer village in Moga.A case has been registered against the operators under relevant sections of law. Two persons linked to the centre have been arrested, while others fled during the raid.“We are verifying how long the centre had been functioning and whether the inmates were subjected to any form of physical abuse,” a police official said.Efforts are underway to nab the remaining four accused. The police are also examining their criminal backgrounds and conducting raids at suspected hideouts, the official added.