Murder convict escapes from Victoria Hospital, caught in Mysuru

BENGALURU: Close on the heels of a murder convict hoodwinking the staff of Parappana Agrahara central prison and escaping from the high-security jail, another life convict managed to escape from Victoria Hospital on Sunday. However, the prison staff managed to nab him at the Mysuru Railway Station within a few hours of his escape.

He had been sent to the hospital as a helper to look after another jail inmate, who was admitted. The escaped convict, Shivakumar (convict prisoner number 2955), is around 30 years old. He was convicted in a murder and robbery case and was serving a life sentence for the past 12 years at the central prison.

A source in the prison department said that the jail inmate, who is now in the hospital, is also a life convict and was admitted after he attempted suicide by swallowing tablets a few days ago. Shivakumar, who was sent as a helper to the patient, escaped on Sunday night.

“Though policemen escort the inmates to the hospital, they generally leave the helpers to roam around freely inside and outside the hospital. Shivakumar took advantage of this and escaped. There have been similar incidents in the past,” the source said.

DIG (Prisons) Veerabhadraswamy confirmed to Deccan Chronicle that Shivakumar had escaped from the hospital. “He was serving a life sentence for the last 12 years and had gone on parole 11 times. On Monday afternoon, we got information from Manjunath, the guard posted at Victoria Hospital, that Shivakumar was not to be seen since morning. We have filed a complaint with the police station concerned. Besides, a team has been formed to investigate the matter,” he said.

This is the second such incident in the recent past.  On April 10 evening, Manjunath, another life convict, who hailed from Chitradurga, walked out of the jail after duping the prison staff by showing the visitor’s seal on his hand and claiming that he had come to extend his parole.