Out On Parole, Missing For 20 Days: Murder Convict Arrested In Saffron Disguise In Karnataka

Last Updated:April 02, 2026, 14:44 IST

He was not carrying a mobile phone. He was also not using any debit or credit cards. This meant there was no digital footprint for investigators to track.

A murder convict was out on parole, but somehow decided to not show up on time. Now, after 20 days, police have arrested him on grounds of violation. Police tracked him down days later, despite having little to no digital evidence to rely on during the investigation.

The accused, M Ramakrishna, 40, had been released from Bengaluru Central Prison on December 11, 2025. He was granted a 90-day emergency parole following directions from the High Court.

He was expected to return to prison on March 10. However, he failed to report back. After he did not report on the scheduled date, prison authorities filed a complaint with Parappana Agrahara police, triggering a search operation.

Investigation Without Digital Clues

According to police, tracing Ramakrishna proved challenging from the start. He was not carrying a mobile phone. He was also not using any debit or credit cards. This meant there was no digital footprint for investigators to track.

A special team was formed to trace him. Police first visited his hometown, Kyatasandra in Tumakuru district. His family informed officers that Ramakrishna had stayed with them during the parole period.

They said he had left home on the morning of March 10, telling them he was returning to prison. Police then checked CCTV footage at the Kyatasandra bus stand and along nearby highway routes. However, the trail went cold as there were no clear visuals showing his movement beyond a point.

Breakthrough from a Phone Call

With no direct leads, police began closely monitoring the movements of Ramakrishna’s family members. Their focus turned to his elder son.

During this surveillance, officers found that the son had received a phone call from a coin-operated telephone booth at the KSRTC bus stand in Kadur. This was treated as a crucial lead.

Police teams rushed to Kadur and reviewed CCTV footage from the bus stand. Though the visuals were unclear, they noticed a man dressed in saffron robes loitering near the telephone booth.

A plainclothes police team was immediately deployed to Kadur. Officers checked several local lodges in the area. During this search, they found that a man wearing saffron robes had checked into a small hotel on a daily rent of Rs 100.

When police reached the hotel, the suspect was not present. The team waited, and he was arrested when he returned. During questioning, the man admitted that he was Ramakrishna. Police then took him into custody.

Background of the Case

Police records show that Ramakrishna had been arrested in 2017 along with a female accomplice. The two were accused of murdering the woman’s husband. In 2021, both were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Officials said the case was difficult to track since the fugitive clearly avoided digital traces. With no mobile phone or financial transactions to follow, investigators had to depend on physical surveillance and local leads. The arrest, police said, was made possible through careful monitoring and timely use of limited clues.

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