M A I N   N E W S

Jailbreak in Sonepat, 8 inmates flee
BS Malik

Sonepat, January 18
Eight undertrial hardcore criminals lodged in the Sonepat District Jail escaped today following which three jail warders were suspended and a case registered against them.

All the inmates were lodged in Barrack No. 3A and 3B. On the intervening night of January 17 and 18 between 1 and 2 am, they reportedly cut the iron grill in their cell with a cutter. They then climbed on to the roof of the barrack and jumped off it when they got close to the boundary wall.

They walked a distance of around 12 feet to the boundary wall in dense fog and reduced visibility. The accused then went on to scale the jail’s 20-feet high wall with the help of a rope, suspected to have been thrown into the compound by their partners in crime waiting in the fields.

The matter came to light this morning when there was a change in ward duty. The police recovered 10 double-edged iron cutters and a rope near the boundary wall in the jail compound.

The escaped inmates have been identified as Vijay, Pradeep and Surender of Rajpur, Atender of Kilorad, Rajbir and Manoj of Pugthala, Pramod of Badhmalik and Jaybir of Chamrara village in Panipat district. A case has been registered against them in the City Police Station. Senior Superintendent of Police KK Rao said the police had nabbed all the eight in the last six to eight months.

The Sonepat Police have launched a massive a search operation and announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone providing information on the culprits. Teams have been dispatched to raid the suspected hideouts of the accused. All police nakas, PCR vans and motorcycle riders have been put on full alert.

Jail warders Suresh Kumar, Surender and Pawan Kumar have been suspended and a case of negligence on duty registered against them. The possibility of the involvement of jail staff in the crime has not been ruled out.

“The jail breakers were involved in heinous crimes and special teams have been formed to nab the criminals. We will also ensure the safety of persons who were witnesses in the cases registered against these criminals,” IGP Rohtak Range Alok Mittal said.

Haryana Director General of Police RS Dalal and Additional DGP (Prisons) Rakesh Malik reached the jail in the evening to review security in the jail. They also inspected the premises where the inmates had been lodged. Jail inmates had been questioned and the police were working on many leads, Dalal said.