09 December,2017 08:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Suraj Ojha and Asif Rizvi
Daswant, wanted for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old and the killing of his mother, had changed clothes and shaved after escaping
S Daswant, the notorious rapist and killer of a seven-year-old in Chennai, has been arrested once again, a day after he escaped the grasp of the Tamil Nadu (TN) police who were escorting him out of Mumbai. Daswant, who is also wanted for his mother's murder, told the cops that he had fled to kill one final person on his hit list. The police were able to hunt him down shortly after he escaped from a Vile Parle hotel, owing to his penchant for gambling. He was picked up near a gambling centre at Kala Ghoda.
CCTV footage from the hotel shows S Dawant making a break for it after the cops stopped for lunch
The Chennai criminal had earlier been arrested in Mumbai just two days ago. On Thursday, the Tamil Nadu police were supposed to escort him back to Chennai, but he managed to escape when the cops broke for lunch at a hotel in Vile Parle. The cops had booked a flight back to Chennai at 10.30 pm, so they decided to stop at the hotel around 4.30 pm, to eat lunch and rest for a while.
Also Read: Mumbai: Child rapist and killer escapes cops while they take a lunch break
But CCTV footage from the hotel shows Daswant making a break for it, while the TN cops chased after him wearing lungis. After his escape, all Mumbai Police units, including the crime branch, were on alert. The cops checked all public transport leaving the city. DCP (Zone VIII) Anil Kumbhare, who was monitoring the investigations, told mid-day, "Our officers were working on the case in coordination with the Tamil Nadu police. We received information that the runaway accused was in South Mumbai, after which the Vile Parle police and the Tamil Nadu police conducted a joint operation to nab him."
One of the cops (circled) happens to spot Daswant just as he exits the hotel compound
His gamble didn't pay off
An officer from the Tamil Nadu police said, "Daswant had planned one more murder and had escaped to complete that. After his escape, we searched for him near betting centres at Pune, Palghar, Mahalaxmi, Kala Ghoda." It was near the race course that the officers had arrested him the first time round, as Daswant was fond of betting on horse races. Predictably, the cops found him yet again outside a betting centre at Kala Ghoda.
New look
Daswant was quick to shave his beard and get a haircut. He had also changed out of the red checked shirt in which he had escaped. Instead, he bought a red T-shirt with full sleeves to hide the handcuffs on his wrist. He boarded a train from Vile Parle to Churchgate, and then headed to Kala Ghoda. The cops are investigating where he got a haircut and shave and bought the new clothes.
The cop gives chase - wearing a lungi - but Daswant manages to flee
Lesson learnt
Daswant will be produced before the Bandra Court on Saturday, to answer for the additional charge of IPC Section 224 (resisting arrest) filed against him. Following the hearing, the cops will escort him back to Chennai. Having learnt their lesson, the cops have now decided to shackle his legs as well.
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