Team Herald
PANJIM: A prisoner under trial for rape, Ramchandra Yellapa, is missing from the Central Jail at Colvale since early Tuesday morning and could have escaped while the staff posted on duty were caught napping.
Inspector General of Prisons Gurudas Pilarnkar confirmed that Yellapa from Tamil Nadu was missing but is suspected to be hiding within the jail premises. “It is not easy to jump off the huge walls. We suspect he is hiding around the jail premises. Every corner of the jail is being scanned,” he said. In the meantime, a police complaint was filed with Mapusa Police Station.
If he has managed to escape, this is the 32-year-old’s second time in doing so. The accused is undergoing trial for allegedly raping a British woman near Palolem beach, Canacona on December 20, 2018. The victim was also robbed of Rs 20,000 cash, her passport and some personal belongings. Later, all belongings, except the cash, were found about 50 metres away from the crime scene and Yellapa was arrested a day later.
A year after his arrest in the case, Yellapa, in December 2019 made his first escape while being taken to the District Court, Margao. He was escorted by two policemen, whom the accused requested to lead him to a toilet. However, after entering the toilet, he broke the glass-panels encasing the toilet ventilator and fled from the spot. He was arrested after a massive manhunt, for which he was slapped with another FIR.
