Chennai, Nov 3:
A 25-year-old remand prisoner who escaped from the Coimbatore Central Prison premises after allegedly assaulting police personnel on October 31 was apprehended in the dense Sathyamangalam forest area of Erode district following an intensive multi-agency search operation. The arrest concluded a three-day manhunt mounted across western district borders.
The fugitive, identified as Raghavan, was traced by a specialized police team using thermal-imaging drone cameras to comb through remote forest pockets and scrub terrain under the cover of darkness. Officers zeroed in on his hideout and executed a swift night-time cordon-and-search operation, taking him into custody without further resistance before transferring him back to Coimbatore.
Upon his return, Raghavan was handed over to the Racecourse police station, which had registered cases related to the escape from lawful custody and the assault on on-duty escort personnel. Investigators subjected the accused to sustained interrogation to reconstruct his escape route, ascertain whether he received outside logistical help, and determine how he managed to traverse forest boundaries toward Sathyamangalam.
Police confirmed that Raghavan’s formal confessional statement has been recorded, marking his second interrogation session since his re-arrest. Arrangements are currently underway to produce him before a judicial magistrate, following which he will be remanded to high-security confinement in the central prison under augmented surveillance protocols.