KOCHI: More than two weeks after Bangladeshi national Hadiulla Khan escaped from Kochi City police custody, the cops have widened the manhunt, alerting law enforcement agencies in other states and the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Investigators are focusing on his local contacts and have not ruled out the possibility that he may have moved out of Keralam.
Hadiulla, 31, escaped from Palarivattom police station on September 9 by allegedly climbing out of the washroom window. He was among the six Bangladeshi nationals arrested by the Palarivattom police the same day for allegedly staying in Kochi without valid passports, visas or other documents. Police said the group had been living in a rented house in Palarivattom for nearly a year and working as daily-wage labourers.
On September 11, the Palarivattom police registered a case against a couple for allegedly harbouring him at their Chalikkavattom house despite knowing that he was wanted. They were arrested and later released on bail.
“The fact that he was able to reach another location and obtain shelter after escaping is something we are examining. We need to establish who his contacts are and whether anyone else assisted him,” a senior police officer said. “Once an undocumented person establishes contacts and moves between places, tracing his movements becomes difficult. We are examining his previous contacts and possible routes to determine where he could have gone,” the officer said.
The police are also examining how he lived in Kochi for nearly a year before his arrest.
