Police expand search for man who escaped from custody in Coimbatore

The police have expanded their search for Raghavan, a 25-year-old native of Erode, who escaped from the custody of police escorting him to the Coimbatore Central Prison for judicial remand on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Six special teams of the police are actively searching for Raghavan, who is believed to have fled in a lorry shortly after his escape, according to credible sources.

A surveillance camera captured images of Raghavan near an arterial road in Coimbatore, leading investigators to suspect he may have hitched a ride. A senior police officer stated that there was no significant progress in the search efforts by Sunday evening.

Raghavan, who hails from Bhavani in Erode, is currently facing multiple cases in his home district and in Karnataka. He was arrested by the Erode police in one of the cases and was subsequently lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison under judicial remand. The Karnataka police subsequently took him to Bengaluru for interrogation while he remained under custody.

While being escorted back to Coimbatore after the interrogation, Raghavan managed to escape from the police personnel at a location within the Annur police jurisdiction in Coimbatore district on June 19, 2026. The Annur police registered a case based on the complaint of the Karnataka police personnel who were escorting Raghavan at that time. Raghavan was later traced and arrested by the Annur police on Friday, October 30, 2026, following which a magistrate ordered his remand in judicial custody.

A serious security lapse by the escorting personnel is believed to be the reason behind Raghavan's second escape, occurring at around 12.40 a.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026, as they were about to bring him inside the perimeter wall of the Coimbatore Central Prison. The Coimbatore District Police have confirmed that the Annur police traced and arrested Raghavan on Friday, October 30, 2026. The magistrate subsequently ordered his remand in judicial custody.