Raghavan, a convict in a theft case, escaped from police custody before he could be lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison, The Hindu reported on Saturday. This is the second time Raghavan has escaped from police custody, the report said, and four personnel have been suspended in connection with the lapse.

Source: The Hindu via News4Exchange

Tamil television and press reports on Saturday also carried the escape, with police explaining how Raghavan fled, days after the Theni jailbreak had already put the state's prison administration on the defensive. There was no word in the initial reports on whether he had been traced.

Source: News Today via MyPressToday

4Personnel suspended after the Coimbatore escape
17Inmates who escaped the Theni sub-jail earlier this week
3Custody breaches reported in Tamil Nadu since October 20

Third custody breach in under two weeks

On October 20, two convicts escaped from Puzhal Central Prison near Chennai and were caught after a two-day search involving seven police teams. Then, on Monday night, 17 remand prisoners at the Thekkampatti sub-jail in Theni district staged a fake medical emergency, overpowered a warder, seized the keys and fled, according to reports of the incident.

All 17 Theni escapees were recaptured in about 40 to 43 hours in a hunt that used 17 specialised police teams, five Special Task Force units, four Tamil Nadu Special Police battalions and drones. The state government then transferred Director General of Police (Prisons) Sandeep Rai Rathore, appointed K. Shankar in his place, suspended nine jail staff and ordered a formal inquiry, while Chief Minister Vijay also dismissed the Theni Deputy Jail Superintendent over alleged lapses.

Source: ANI and PTI reports via Particle News

Against that backdrop, another convict slipping out of police custody in Coimbatore — for the second time — is likely to sharpen questions about escort and admission procedures at Tamil Nadu prisons, even as the suspended personnel face departmental proceedings.