The daring escape from Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara of 36-year-old M Jaishanker, a psychopath awaiting trial in several rape and murder cases, has put the police in a spot of serious bother.
Police officers said they feared history would repeat itself. In 45 days he was out of prison earlier, Jaishanker had allegedly raped five women and murdered three.
“We have issued alerts in the neighbouring districts, besides Tamil Nadu, especially in Hosur and Dharmapuri, about his movements,” a police officer said. “He keeps changing base and does not use mobile phone, making the task to track him down a lot more difficult.”
A native of Kanniyanpatti village in Idappadi taluk of Tamil Nadu’s Salem district, Jaishanker is a truck driver by occupation. In the last seven years, he allegedly committed several gruesome crimes. He would lead a nomad’s life, sleeping on footpaths or at farms. He would take his victims into confidence before going in for the kill, police added.
Police said Jaishanker raped and murdered a 39-year-old female constable M Jayamani of the Kangayam all-women police station in Tamil Nadu, on August 23, 2009. The Tirupur police succeeded in arresting him on October 19 and he was sent to Coimbatore Central Prison.
Jaishanker, however, managed to escape from the custody of two armed reserve police constables, M Chinnaswamy and Rajavelu, at the Salem bus stand while being escorted back to Coimbatore from Dharmapuri district combined court on March 17, 2011. He was on trial for a murder. Days later, an embarrassed Chinnaswamy shot himself.
The suspect then went to Chitradurga and Tumkur. There was no end to his alleged crimes. Several other rapes and murders, reportedly committed by him, were also reported. He allegedly raped three women before murdering them in a single day on March 28, 2011 at Nelahal village in Tumkur.
He is suspected to have burnt alive a farm labourer after locking him in a hut. He later allegedly raped the victim’s wife and bludgeoned her to death at Yaradakatte village in Tumkur.
He also allegedly raped and murdered a woman in Tammenahalli village of Molakalmur taluk in Chitradurga district on April 4, besides raping and killing a woman in Guilal village of Hiriyur taluk. In yet another incident, he raped a woman and murdered her husband at Seebar village of Chitradurga taluk on April 27, police sources explained.
The Karnataka police displayed more than 4,000 posters of Shankar in public places, seeking information about him. His streak, however, ended when a woman cried for help as he allegedly tried to molest her and neighbours caught him.
The Karnataka police managed to arrest him at Zalki in Bijapur district near the Maharashtra border on May 4, 2011, 48 days after he had fled.
He was sent to the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara on May 5, 2011.