MARGAO: Ramchandra alias Ramchandran alias Ramchandrappa a native of Tamil Nadu who was arrested on December 20, 2018 for raping and robbing a British national at Palolem, Canacona escaped from custody on Friday when he was produced before the III Additional Sessions Judge for his ongoing trial.
The two constables of Escort Cell of Goa Police who were supposed to look after Ramchandra were suspended in the evening. The two suspended officials are Ramdas Sahinath Gawas of Valpoi police station and Ramu Vithu Tate of the Indian Reserve Batallion.
Ramchandra told his escorts that he was suffering from loose motions and would need to go to the toilet on the ground floor. Soon thereafter he went to the toilet again and did not return but escaped.
He removed the glass pane of the toilet ventilator and bent one iron bar that was laid across it and escaped from the gap created by bending the bar and since it was on the first floor he could escape easily specially given the fact that it was raining heavily at that time.
Fatorda police have registered a case under Section 224 of the Indian Penal Code for escaping from legal custody and have launched a massive manhunt to find the accused which unfortunately has been adversely affected by the incessant rains.
It may be recalled that on December 20, 2018 at around 4 am Ramchandra waylaid a British national who was returning to her rented accommodation from the Canacona Railway Station and dragged her to the nearby fields where he raped her and also took her cash and valuable.
However, he was arrested shortly thereafter while entering a hotel in Margao where he was living with another person and both of them had stolen Rs. 30 lakhs from a hotel room in Pernem.
Incidentally this is the second case of a rapist escaping from police custody. It may be recalled that in December last year Ishwar Mackwana who was accused in the infamous gang rape at Sunset beach, Betalbatim on May 24, 2018.
Meanwhile the two constables of Escort Cell of Goa Police who were supposed to look after Ramchandra were suspended by this evening. The two suspended officials are Ramdas Sahinath Gawas of Valpoi police station and Ramu Vithu Tate of the Indian Reserve Batallion.
Interestingly as the police were looking out for the escaped rapist they managed to arrest Noor Mohammad who was wanted by the Maina Curtorim Police in a burglary case registered with them. Noor was found walking along the railway tracks by police personnel who were also checking the tracks on suspicion that the rapist might walk to the railway station along that route.
