Goondas Act detainee escapes from police custody while being taken to Madurai

COIMBATORE/MADURAI: A 23-year-old burglar escaped on Tuesday night when a Coimbatore city police team was taking him and three others to Madurai to produce them before an advisory board in connection with their detention under the Goondas Act.The escaped burglar has been identified as Farman of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested in November last in connection with a burglary at the housing unit flats at Kavundampalayam in Coimbatore. One of accomplices, identified as M Dawood, 18, of Uttar Pradesh, was also arrested with him. The duo visited the housing unit flats on the pretext of being utensil sellers, collected information about locked flats, and passed the message to two more accomplices. They executed the burglary and stole 42 sovereigns of gold ornaments, 500 grams of silver ornaments and Rs 1.5 lakh in cash. An autorickshaw driver was indirectly involved in the burglary. Farman and Dawood left for Uttar Pradesh after the burglary. The city police arrested the three others, including the auto driver. Police opened fire on their legs when they tried to escape. One of them, Ashif, 45, who sustained bullet injuries, died without responding to treatment. Police arrested Farman and Dawood from Uttar Pradesh. Former city police commissioner A Saravana Sundar detained all the four burglars under the Goondas Act in December.The Goondas detention was to be heard before the advisory board in Madurai on Wednesday. So, the police took four burglars, including Farman, in a vehicle from Coimbatore Central Prison to Madurai on Tuesday evening. They were escorted by seven police personnel, including a special sub-inspector attached to the Coimbatore city armed reserve police. They planned to lodge the burglars in the Madurai Central Prison on Tuesday night.When police stopped the vehicle near Nagamalai Pudukottai to have dinner around 7.30pm, Farman managed to escape from police custody after pushing two police personnel. Despite chasing him, police could not nab him.A case was registered under Section 262 BNS (resistance or obstruction by a person to their own lawful apprehension or custody) by the Nagamalai Pudukottai police. The search for the accused was under way, police said.The remaining three accused were produced before the advisory board on Wednesday.