Belagavi: Of the two notorious undertrials who had escaped from Ramdurg jail in Belagavi a few days ago, the police arrested Santosh Nandihal in Kalaburagi, while continuing the hunt to nab the other. A relative of the absconding inmate, Suresh Chaluvadi, has also been arrested for helping the two escape from the prison by breaking the toilet's window-grills at Ramdurg jail.
Nandihal was caught after his mobile phone location was traced. Soon after his escape on June 21, Nandihal met his mother in Vijayapura district and started using her phone. The police traced his location to Gulbarga, arrested him and brought him back to Ramdurg, where he was produced before a local court. The judge remanded him to judicial custody.
Nandihal admitted that Chaluvadi’s brother met them at Ramdurg jail some weeks ago and handed them a cutter which was sharp enough to cut iron rods.
After a few days, both Nandihal and Chaluvadi entered the jail's toilet at night when all other inmates were asleep and managed to cut the window grills. Inmates or guards were not aware of their escape till the next day morning.
The police said that Nandihal’s friend, Moulasab Nadaf, was also in touch with the two inmates for some days and was waiting outside the jail with his bike on the night when both of them broke the window and came out. The three then headed to Saudatti, from where Nandihal decided to go to Kalaburagi and Chaluvadi to Bengaluru.
Nandihal went to Kalaburagi via Vijayapur where he allegedly met his family members and collected his mother's mobile phone.
The police have got vital clues on the whereabouts of Chaluvadi and are expected to arrest him soon. Nadaf, who took both inmates to Saudatti from the jail, has also been taken into custody.
Both the escaped prisoners have been charged with involving in a series of robberies in different parts of the state. Nandihal has already served a seven-year jail sentence on getting convicted in a major robbery case at Bailhongal.
