A day after he had fled police custody from the Gandhinagar police station, the police on Tuesday arrested once again George Kurian, alias Shijo, who is suspected of murdering a retired police officer.
Officials said Shijo had escaped from custody while being taken to a bar hotel close to the Gandhinagar police station on Monday evening. While on the run, he had also approached a few households in the locality triggering panic. On an alert raised by the local people, the police soon launched a massive manhunt. Though traced to an isolated location near Thonnamkuzhy on Tuesday morning, the accused managed to escape once again by attacking the policemen.
He snatched their two-wheeler in the process. He was later waylaid by a police team from Manarcaud, near Nalumanikkattu.
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Official sources said Gandhinagar station house officer Anoop Jose had been placed under suspension pending further inquiry and an internal probe was on to ascertain whether the suspect received help to evade the police net. The suspension, ordered by the Inspector General of Police (Kochi Range), was based on a report by the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Special Brach), which had attributed the suspect’s escape from custody to negligence by the SHO. District Police Chief P.S. Sabu was not available for comment despite repeated attempts. Meanwhile, earlier denials by the police about the escape has put the force on the back foot.