Mangaluru: In a breakthrough, police have traced a history-sheeter involved in several serious crimes, including murder, who had been absconding for eight years after escaping from custody.NM. Azeez, a resident of Ajjavara in Sullia, who was an accused in a case registered under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC in 2012, had been absconding for the past eight years, despite a conviction warrant. The Karnataka high court had sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment in the case.In 2018, while being produced before the Sullia court by Kerala police, the accused allegedly assaulted the staff and escaped from custody. Thereafter, he changed his identity to Basavaraju, claiming to be a resident of Jevargi in Kalaburagi, and was living in Andhra Pradesh.Police teams made continuous efforts to trace him, and eventually confirmed that he was lodged in Chittoor Jail in Andhra Pradesh. With the permission of the concerned court, he was secured through a body warrant and taken into custody. Further legal procedures are being initiated.Theft suspect arrested In another case, Bantwal Rural police arrested a theft accused who had been absconding for nearly eight years, after failing to appear before the court. The accused, Shakeel P,43, a resident of Palakkad, Kerala, was wanted in Bantwal Rural police station under Section 379 read with 34 of the IPC.Acting on a tip-off, police personnel HC Santosh and PC Shivananda Maddi traced and arrested him at Tirur in Kerala on Friday. He was subsequently produced before the ACJ & JMFC court, Bantwal.
