Bikaner:
Five undertrials escaped from a sub-jail in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.
Three prison staffers, including the deputy jailer, were suspended after a preliminary investigation found them guilty of laxity, they said.
This is the second incident of jailbreak in Rajasthan this month.
Director General, Prisons, Rajiv Dasot told PTI that the five undertrials escaped from the Nokha sub-jail after making a hole in the wall of a barrack near a window.
“Prima facie, the inmates managed to escape due to the laxity of the jail staff. I visited the jail and spoke to the prison staff and police officers. Deputy Jailer Suresh, Head Warden Kaluram and Warden Bhoma Ram have been suspended for laxity,” he said.
“The jail was renovated last year and its outer wall is 18-ft high. Despite this, the prisoners managed to escape. This clearly shows laxity on the part of the jail staff. An inquiry has been ordered and no one, be it the prisoners who escaped or the guilty jail staff, will be spared. Stern action will be taken,” he said.
Dasot said he also spoke to the superintendents of police of Bikaner, Churu and Hanumangarh regarding the search operation to nab the undertrials.
The prisoners who escaped were facing trial in cases related to the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. They have been identified as Salim, Anil, Mandeep Singh, Suresh Kumar and Ratiram, another official said.
Earlier this month, 16 prisoners had escaped from the Phalodi sub-jail in Jodhpur with the help of the prison staff.
