Three policemen were suspended after a man arrested in a gang rape case escaped from their custody in Goa, police said Tuesday, 11 December.

Ishwar Makwana, 24, arrested by the Goa Police in May this year for allegedly raping a woman, gave police the slip on Monday, 10 December, when he was brought to the Chest Disease & T B Hospital here for medical treatment.

"Head constable Rajendra Tamshe and constables Ladu Ravul and Sanjay Khandeparkar, of the Goa Police's escort cell, who had brought Makwana to the hospital, were suspended on Monday evening for lapse in duty after the accused escaped from their custody," a senior police official said.

Makwana, who hails from Indore in Madhya Pradesh (MP),and two other men - Ram Bhariya and Sanjiv Pal - had allegedly raped and robbed a 20-year-old woman at a beach in South Goa district on 24 May, he said.

All the three accused were subsequently arrested andlodged at the Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa district.

Makwana had been booked in the past in MP for various offences, including killing a couple in Indore.

He also carried a reward of Rs 20,000 on his head, police said.