Satyam Babu, prime accused in the murder of Ayesha Meera (a pharmacy student who was found dead in her hostel in 2008), had "escaped" from the clutches of an entourage of policemen who were escorting him from Hyderabad to Vijayawada in the wee hours of Saturday.
The group had reportedly stopped for dinner at a dhaba in Suryapet (Nalgonda district), and Satyam Babu had wanted to visit the restroom. His handcuffs were then removed, following which he made the escape.
Satyam Babu was set to appear in court at 10am on Saturday morning. His verdict in the Ayesha Meera case is a month away.
The Vijayawada police commissioner said he came to know of the incident only in the morning. Several cops have been suspended.
Satyam Babu's mother is crying foul at the incident, demanding to know how a person who can't even walk properly (Satyam Babu was in a wheelchair) could escape. Ram Prasad, a human rights activist, has alleged that the police are enacting a drama in order to finish him off in an "encounter".
Several doubts indeed abound in this bizarre escapade - Satyam Babu could not walk, and the idea that he pulled a fast one on a dozen policemen is laughable. Then, there is also the question of why he was being hustled off in the middle of the night when his court hearing was at 10am the next morning.
Meanwhile, Ayesha's father is stressing that Satyam Babu is not his daughter's murderer.