A special team of the Coimbatore City Police has now moved to Mumbai from Karnataka in search of a rape case accused Jaishankar (32), who escaped from the custody of escort police at Salem on March 18.
He was arrested by the police on the charge of abducting a woman police constable and murdering her after raping her. Inquiries revealed his alleged involvement in 16 criminal cases, including nine rapes and eight murders. He used to target women on highways, rob and rape them before killing them.
The accused was lodged at the Coimbatore Central Prison. On March 17, he was taken by two police constables from the Coimbatore City Police Armed Reserve to various courts in Dharmapuri, Salem and Tiruchi. On March 18, while returning to Coimbatore, the accused demanded that he should be taken in a super deluxe bus. When one of the constables went in search of a super deluxe bus, the accused gave the slip at the Salem bus stand.
One of the escort constables, M. Chinnasamy hailing from Dharmapuri, fearing departmental action for the escape of the accused, shot himself to death on March 19. A special team was formed to arrest him.
Even as the special teams were trying to track him, the Karnataka police reported cases of rape and murder of women on the Mysore - Bangalore Road and in Bellary and Chitradurga areas. Special teams of the Coimbatore City Police, led by Inspector P. Periasamy, joined hands with their Karnataka counterparts. Sensing that the police was zeroing in on him, the accused entered Mumbai.
