Life convict who jumped parole arrested in Coimbatore

PUDUCHERRY: A special police team from Puducherry, on Tuesday evening in Coimbatore, arrested a life convict who had allegedly fled after he was let out on a three-day parole leave. Following court proceedings, the life convict was remanded back to jail the next day.

The Mudaliarpet Police said the convict, S Karuna alias Manogaran (50) from Anitha Nagar, was associated with 15 cases and had been serving a life sentence at the Central Prison in Kalapet for over twenty years in connection with a 1997 murder case. Karuna failed to return on June 14, after a three-day parole leave to meet his allegedly ill wife. As he had given no intimation of his absence, the prison police visited his house, which was found locked, said sources.

Following a complaint from Prison Superintendent Baskaran, the Mudaliarpet Police registered a case and initiated a search. On Monday, Inspector R Senthil Kumar issued a lookout notice for Karuna. A special police team was formed and by tracking his mobile phone signal, they searched for him in Tirupati. On Tuesday, they arrested two men — Murugan (50) of Mudaliarpet and Vijayakumar (47) of Pooranankuppam — for allegedly helping Karuna flee. The same evening, a special team arrested Karuna, who had been hiding in a house in Coimbatore. He was brought to Puducherry on Wednesday, and following an inquiry and court proceedings, he was remanded back to jail, however, the police are yet to reveal the details of his hideout and arrest.

Sources said Karuna had taken parole leave 33 times previously, and his movements were supposed to be closely monitored by the police in the respective area. However, only after the prison officials filed a complaint the Mudaliarpet police initiated the search, added sources.