From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Apr 23: Police launched night long manhunt on Friday to nab state’s most wanted criminal Michael Fernandes wanted in connection with the high profile case involving family of state home minister Ravi Naik.
 
Fernandes, 23, had escaped from the police custody after being referred for psychological medical treatment at Bambolim’s Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour.
 
Police had managed to recapture Dipak Kesarkar, who had managed to flee along with Fernandes. Four policemen including a head constable were placed under suspension for their dereliction in duties.
 
Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas said that almost 100 policemen were combing the area around Panaji to nab Fernandes. Police had even increased picketing on Panaji-Margao and Panaji-Ponda highway and had resorted to intense checking of the vehicles.
 
A senior police officer said that Fernandes had given an open challenge to police last week. Police’s escort cell had issued a memo to its staff after Fernandes had thrown open challenge to them to keep him behind bars.
 
The escort cell staff was told that Fernandes should not be taken out of the custody without handcuffing him. Even on Friday, he was handcuffed, which were removed just for a while for medical checking, when he ran away.
 
Fernandes was a history of jail breaks, the latest being on February 22, when he jumped from moving police van and disappeared. He was recaptured on April 11 from a dense forest at Khola in Canacona.
 
This is the fifth time for the gangster to escape from police custody. Gawas said that he is wanted in almost 19 cases spanning across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa.
 
Even after his latest escape he had threatened a robbed a foreigner at Canacona, threatened a family at Goa Velha, committed robbery at Bicholim and Kankavli (Maharashtra).