The dramatic escape of serial rapist and fugitive M Shankar alias Jaishankar from the Parappana Agrahara Central prison on the outskirts of Bangalore points fingers towards jail staff who might have helped him.
Though Karnataka Police has launched a manhunt for his arrest, Jaishankar continues to hoodwink 10 teams of the State Police for the fifth day. Jaishankar (36), accused in nearly 30 cases of rape and murder, scaled the walls of the so-called high security Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on Sunday morning in the first-ever jailbreak reported from this prison.
According to sources in the prison, the fugitive had escaped with the help of inside staff. The Home Minister of Karnataka, KJ George said the inquiry committee was probing the case from all angles, including insiders’ involvement and the keys used for the jailbreak. He has also announced rupees five lakh for any clue on Jaishankar.
A police officer told The Pioneer that police teams were scouring every nook and corner of south-interior Karnataka and checking all categories of vehicles. He said, “We are in touch with police teams from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Our special teams have visited hotels, medical shops and eateries in bordering areas. But no one claims to have seen the fugitive.”
According to prison officials, the Bangalore Central prison has 40 CCTV cameras of which only eight are in working condition. Though there are more than 50 high-value inmates who need 24X7 monitoring, the prison staff was managing with only eight cameras in the cells. PDP leader Maudany, Rowdy Tanveer and fake stamp paper kingpin Abdul Kareem Telgi were also monitored by the cameras.
Meanwhile, rumours continued to do the rounds that Jaishankar had been spotted at various places. However, police denied any clue about the elusive fugitive. Jaishankar who pulled off a brazen and meticulously planned escape from Parappana Agrahara Central prison after scaling two 15-feet inner walls and jumping off a 30-feet outer compound wall with electrical fencing has left the police red faced as he escaped wearing a police uniform.
He is wanted in connection with 26 cases of rape, murder, and dacoity in Bengaluru Rural, Chitradurga, Hiriyur, Kadur, Molakalmur, Bijapur, and Tumkur districts in Karnataka; and Chennai, Dharmpuri, Hosur, Salem, and Tirupattur districts of Tamil Nadu.
According to KV Gagandeep, Inspector General of Police (Prisons) the insiders role was not ruled out in his escape. He said, “We learnt that Jaishankar escaped from the jail by climbing two 20-feet inner walls and the 30-feet outer wall between 2 am and 4 am. I don’t rule out the insiders role in his escape.” The IGP suspended three wardens, two jailors and six security guards who were on duty at the time of the breakout, and ordered an inquiry into the incident that came to light when Jaishankar did not turn up for morning roll-call and was found missing from his cell.
“The accused was lodged in a separate barrack as he was under treatment for an ailment. He used clothes and nylon ropes to climb the walls and also got injured as there were drops of blood outside the outer wall,” Gagandeep said. He said, “We are investigating how he got the police dress and fled in darkness as there was a power failure and the electric fence on the top of the outer wall was not functioning due to power cut and sudden rain in the area.”
The undertrial is facing a number of cases in the State and neighbouring Tamil Nadu after he was arrested in May 2011. “We have set up a special team to trace the accused as he is carrying a Rs 10 lakh cash reward and has a history of escaping from Salem and Coimbatore prisons in Tamil Nadu earlier,” Gagandeep said.