Date:05/07/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/07/05/stories/2002070507160300.htm

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Cop breaks free from punishment stigma

By R. Balaji

Vijayawada July 4. "Necessity is the mother of invention.'' In the case of Venkateshwar Rao, a constable of the city's Suryaraopet police, a charge memo and cut in increment has provoked him to invent a new pair of handcuffs and foot shackles which assures `foolproof' protection against the escape of a criminal or suspect from custody.

Mr. Rao, who was given the punishment only last year, will be suitably rewarded and felicitated shortly by the City Police Commissioner, N. V. Surendra Babu, according to the senior officials here. In June last, Mr. Rao, attached to the Suryaraopet Police Station, was served with a charge memo and cut in two increments after a suspect, Shaik Basha, escaped from his custody.

A deeply remorseful Rao since then was seeking a way out to end the problem of suspects escaping from custody despite being handcuffed.

The present handcuffs used in the country to chain the criminals have been designed more than 100 years ago during the British regime. The iron handcuffs that are in vogue are circular in shape with an inbuilt locking system.

However, in a number of cases criminals have managed to escape after unshackling the cuffs. Basha also escaped in a similar manner.

After the incident, Rao said, he used to ponder every day how to prevent such escapes. "Today it has happened to me, tommorow another constable could be punished. As such I thought of developing a foolproof handcuff which I have succeeded after a one year struggle,'' a beaming Rao, told The Hindu.

The new handcuffs, designed by the constable, are bow shaped with a separate locking system. Unlike the conventional handcuffs which because of their circular shape gives the manoeuvrability for the suspect to wriggle out of the chain and escape. The newly-designed model ensures that the wrist is firmly clasped between the two ends of the handcuffs once they are locked.

According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crimes), Bhupal Singh, the constable, after his punishment, used to visit blacksmiths regularly and tried different designs before coming out with the latest one. Along with the handcuffs he has also designed a `foot shackle' which also resembles the handcuffs, but with a slightly circular shape to lock the feet which is T-shaped.