A remand prisoner escaped from police custody while he was being taken to the munsif court here on Wednesday afternoon.
Ahmad Kabir, who lives within the Kasaragod police station limits, gave the police the slip.
He escaped after he went to wash hands after having food at a restaurant here. He had been arrested with drugs on May 23, following which he was sent to the Kannur Central Jail.
According to the police, Kabir is the leader of an inter-State drug racket that transports and distributes the banned MDMA drug from Goa.
In a similar incident in May, Amir Ali, 23, an accused in several drug cases, had managed to escape from police custody while being taken to court. He was later arrested from Bengaluru.