A 45-year-old man accused in a POCSO case escaped from police custody after allegedly jumping from a moving train while being brought to Kannur from Maharashtra in the early hours of Monday (June 29).
The accused, Sanjuranj Malhotra, a native of Pune, was arrested by the Kannur Town Police in Pune on Saturday (June 27) in connection with an alleged attempt to sexually assault a female student at a lodge near Kannur railway station.
According to the police, the accused escaped after jumping from the Pune-Ernakulam Superfast Express near Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.
Two Kannur police personnel were escorting the accused during the journey. Following the incident, the officers got down at Ratnagiri and launched a search. A police team led by the Kannur Town Station House Officer has also left for Maharashtra to coordinate the search operations.
The police have intensified efforts to trace the absconding accused.
Published – June 29, 2026 08:14 pm IST