Man accused of raping Briton in Goa held in B’luru

Bengaluru: A man accused of raping a British national in Goa was held in Hoskote in neighbouring Karnataka seven months after he escaped for the second time from a jail in Colvale near here, police said on Saturday.

Ramachandran Yellappa was arrested in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after a seven month hunt across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, an official said.

Yellappa is accused of raping a British woman tourist in Canacona village in 2018, and he had managed to escape from jail in September last year, as well as earlier in June, 2019, being held from Bengaluru on that occasion, the official said.

A police spokesperson informed that Yellappa has said he escaped from Colvale jail last year after climbing the walls and slithering through drainage ducts.

‘During the time he was on the run,he travelled across Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana doing odd jobs, including driving and working with his old associates, sometimes committing thefts and burglaries. He was careful to not remain in the same place for long and remained on the run,’ the spokesperson added.