Undertrial prisoner escapes Coimbatore police custody twice in 24 hours

An undertrial pushed aside escort officers and fled near Coimbatore Central Prison early Saturday. His repeat escape exposed security lapses, prompted suspensions and triggered a statewide prison review.Police identified the prisoner as Raghavan, alias Kozhikaran, who is facing theft and robbery cases. (Representational)Coimbatore,Oct 31, 2026 19:25 ISTA 25-year-old undertrial prisoner escaped from police custody for the second time in 24 hours, triggering a political row and prompting a statewide review of prison security in Tamil Nadu, news agency PTI reported.The prisoner escaped at the entrance of Coimbatore Central Prison early on Saturday after pushing aside the police officers escorting him. Four police personnel were suspended for negligence, while Coimbatore city police and other forces launched a large-scale search.Police identified the prisoner as Raghavan, alias Kozhikaran, who is facing theft and robbery cases. He was produced before a Fast Track Court on Friday night and remanded in judicial custody.He was brought to the prison complex around 12.40 am on Saturday. As the escort team took him between the first and second gates of the prison's two-tier entrance, his handcuffs were removed to complete admission formalities. He then pushed the personnel away and fled. This was Raghavan's second escape in 24 hours and his third overall. He had earlier escaped from police custody in June 2026 while being taken to Bengaluru.After being traced and arrested again on October 30, he briefly escaped from Annur police station that evening. He was chased and caught, but escaped again at the prison gates hours later. Additional Director General of Police for Prisons K Shankar said a comprehensive security audit would be conducted at all prisons in Tamil Nadu to identify and address security gaps, PTI reported.Officials have been directed to ensure full compliance with standard operating procedures to prevent further lapses, Shankar told reporters in Theni after inspecting the Thekkampatti sub-jail.The inspection found that the prison, which has a capacity of 200, was holding more than 300 inmates. Shankar said inmates were being moved to other facilities to reduce overcrowding, and instructions had been issued to follow specific protocols to prevent untoward incidents.Shankar took charge as the new ADGP of Prisons and Correctional Services on Friday. Sandeep Rai Rathore was moved out of the post following the escape of 17 convicts from the Thekkampatti sub-jail on October 26.The latest incident triggered a political row, with AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami taking a swipe at the ruling TVK. He said prison breaks under the current administration had become a "never-ending television serial".He was apparently referring to the recent escape of two prisoners from Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai and the escape of 17 convicts from the Thekkampatti sub-jail this week. Those who escaped in both incidents were recaptured and lodged in jail.In a statement, Palaniswami expressed shock over the Coimbatore escape and said it came soon after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay warned jail staff to remain vigilant.He said jailbreaks had joined deteriorating law and order, rampant drug trafficking, soaring inflation, power cuts and mounting public debt in the government's "so-called list of achievements"."Every time prisoners escape from places like Theni, Puzhal or Salem, the government repeats the same old script about strengthening prison safety and placing armed guards on watchtowers," Palaniswami said."Today, just moments after the CM officially warned of strict action against negligent staff, the embarrassing spectacle of a convict escaping unfolded right at the Coimbatore prison gates," he added.Expressing concern over criminals escaping from high-security prisons, he said: "It sends shivers down one's spine to think about the potential crimes such desperate fugitives could commit out in society."He added: "If this government cannot even keep a secure grip on its prisons, how can the common public ever trust this regime to protect them?" Palaniswami suggested that the Chief Minister follow the advice he gives officers on performing their duties with full focus, alertness and no lethargy.BJP leader and former Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said the incident had raised doubts about the state's overall law and order situation.In a separate case, 61-year-old autorickshaw driver David Anbarasan escaped from a Chennai hospital, where he was being treated after allegedly being assaulted by relatives of a schoolgirl he is accused of harassing.A Chennai police release said a search was under way for Anbarasan, who allegedly sexually harassed an eight-year-old girl travelling in his autorickshaw to school. Parents of other schoolgirls had also complained against him.The Coimbatore escape was Raghavan's third overall and came amid other recent prison escapes in Tamil Nadu, leading the prison department to order a security audit and stricter compliance with operating procedures across the state.- Ends