Life convict flees jail right under cops' nose in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 12: A life convict hoodwinked the cops and managed to flee the high-security Parappana Agrahara Central prison on Friday evening.

According to the police, Manjunath, 33, sentenced to life in prison for committing a murder in Chitradurga, was serving his term in the prison for the past six years.

On Thursday morning, he requested the prison officials to allow him to meet a few officials in the administrative block for seeking parole. The officials granted him permission and he left for the block after changing into civilian clothes. He was lazing around the block for a while and at around 2 pm, he went near the inner gate located on the premises. He noticed that the guard was distracted and not keeping a watch on the people entering and exiting the premises. He grabbed the chance and slipped out, said a prison official.

Manjunath then proceeded to the main gate and showed the policemen a seal mark on his hand. The guards mistook him for a visitor and let him out, added the official.

The official said, “At around 6.30 pm, the barracks were locked and at 7.30 pm, the officials began their routine headcount and roll call and realised they were short of one inmate. The officials started looking around in the kitchen, garden, toilets and other places, but could not find the missing man. They could not even identify who was missing. Panic spread and the authorities again checked every inmate, but could not confirm the identity of the missing convict.”

They alerted the senior officers and examined the CCTV footage. The footage showed Manjunath slipping out of the gate, along with the other visitors, and that is when the incident came to light, he said.

The authorities flashed a wireless message, along with a photograph of the convict, across all the police stations in the City, asking the officers to keep an eye on bus and railway stations and alert them if they came across the convict. The checkpoints on the highways were also alerted, but Manjunath could not be found anywhere, said the police.

Kamal Pant, ADGP (Prisons) said, “Usually, the policemen use a seal mark and stamp it on the hand of the visitors who come to meet the inmates. While they go out, the seal is checked and then they are asked to leave the premises. Manjunath has managed to make a similar kind of mark on his hand and has give the guards the slip. We have alerted the superintendent of police in Chitradurga. They have formed a team and are keeping an eye on the houses of the convict’s relatives and family members, as it is highly possible he might visit them.”

“An official inquiry has been ordered and the policemen guarding the gate are being questioned. Some insider might have helped him, without which the convict could not have escaped so easily. We are also inquirying into how he was able to make the seal mark on his hand, or if he had acquired the seal from someone. We are confident of nabbing him soon,” Pant said.

A case has been registered in the Parappana Agrahara police station.