Pronounced guilty, robbery convict flees Tamil Nadu court

COIMBATORE: A convict fled from the Coimbatore court premises on Monday evening, within minutes of being pronounced guilty by the first additional subordinate judge court in a robbery case and just before the announcement of the quantum of punishment.

Convict D Senthil Kumar (39) belongs to Mettur in Tamil Nadu's Salem district. Despite his escape, the judge sentenced him to five years of rigorous imprisonment and issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Selvapuram investigation wing police formed a special team to trace Senthil Kumar. The case dates back to 2006. On the night of Aug 26 that year, Kumar and his accomplices - Ramesh Kumar and Mathivanan - intercepted Mahesh Maruthaiah of Srinagar. The robbery occurred while Mahesh was heading to his uncle's house on a scooter.

Mahesh Maruthaiah had been handling his uncle's business and would hand over the day's collection to the latter after business hours.

The attackers threw red chilli powder on the victim's face and assaulted him with deadly weapons. Mahesh ran from the spot and reached his residence. The gang, however, followed him and snatched his bag of cash before decamping from the spot.

Mahesh was admitted to Coimbatore MCH.