Dhasvanth, the accused in the murder and sexual assault of seven-year-old Hasini and a suspect in the murder of his mother, has been rearrested in Mumbai on Friday. This comes a day after the 23-year-old techie had escaped from police custody in Mumbai.
According to reports he was found a few kilometres from where he had escaped. Reports suggest that he will be produced before a magistrate in Mumbai on Friday before being brought to Chennai.
Chennai Police have allowed him to escape on three occasions. The first time was when the police arbitrarily used the Goondas Act and did not file the chargesheet on time, allowing Dhasvanth to get bail from the Madras High Court. The second time was when despite Hasini’s father’s complaint that Dhasvanth had threatened him, the police did not act on it. Days later, Dhasvanth allegedly killed his mother at their home in Chennai, and had run off with her jewellery. The third time was when in a major embarrassment, the special force that had apprehended him, allowed him to escape just a day later.
Dhasvanth was first arrested on Wednesday by a special team of Chennai Police from the Chembur Race Course. However, a day later, while Dhasvanth was being taken to the Mumbai airport, he had escaped from the police.
On Thursday, a top police official had told TNM that he had escaped while he was being taken to the toilet. According to reports, Dhasvanth, who was in hand cuffs, had been taken to Hotel Satellite in Vile Parle area of Mumbai. While the accused’s escort was having lunch, Dhasvanth had reportedly pushed other police officers and managed to flee.
Following this, the Mumbai Police had been put on high alert and all local police stations and DCPs have been asked to keep an eye out for Dhasvanth in their jurisdiction.
He had gone missing last Saturday after his mother – 45-year-old Sarala – was found bludgeoned to death at their Kundrathur home in Chennai. He had gone missing along with her jewellery.
The police had got statements from two history sheeters James and Daviid, whom Dhasvanth had spent time with in jail. They had allegedly helped him pawn his mother’s jewellery. And while this has led police to further suspect Dhasvanth's role in the murder, one investigating official told TNM that it is hard to believe that he would kill his own mother.
Police had suspected that Dhasvanth had taken a long-distance train from Chennai Central and had been on his tail.
According to Deccan Chronicle, Dhashvanth's father has accused him of murdering his own mother, because he was irate that his mother refused to give him money.
23-year-old Dhasvanth has been out on bail in the Hasini case since September. He procured bail on a technical ground after his father went to court claiming that the Chennai police cannot impose Goondas Act on him. In February this year, 7-year-old Hasini was found murdered and Dhasvanth was suspected of sexually assaulting her and then killing her.
The trial in the Hasini murder case was set to begin at a court in Chengalpet on Tuesday. While the magistrate was on leave on Tuesday, the case was adjourned on Wednesday as Dhasvanth was missing in the case.
A few days ago, Dhasvanth had threatened Hasini's father and told him that if he appeared in court, he would kill his son.