Four prisoners scale 22-foot wall to escape from MP jail

INDORE/BHOPAL: Four prisoners broke out of Neemuch district jail in Kanawati early Sunday morning, scaling the walls with a rope tied to an electricity pole outside. Police have launched an all-out hunt for the four, who were serving jail terms for murder, rape and smuggling drugs.
Home minister Bala Bachchan ordered a magisterial probe and suspended six prison personnel, including an assistant jail superintendent.“Police have traced the convicts, identified their accomplices, and they will all be arrested soon,” he said.
All the fugitives are between 19 and 21 years of age. While Lekhram Bawari of Mandsaur was jailed for murder, 19-year-old Dubey Lal Dhurve from Mandla is serving out a 10-year prison term for rape, and Nar Singh and Pankaj Mongia were locked up for drug-related crimes.
They broke out of jail using ropes to scale the 22-feet boundary wall, said police.
As per police reports, the four cut iron bars to get out of their barracks.
NEEMUCH JAILBREAK
Inmates got help from outside: DGP
As per police reports, the four cut iron bars to get out of their barracks. DGP-jails Sanjay Choudhary told TOI that the inmates had help from outside. “One of the prisoners had his local accomplices tie a rope around an electricity pole outside the jail boundary and throw it inside. All the four scaled the wall with the help of the rope.”
Senior jail officials are investigating the breakout and will submit a report on the lapses and what needs to be done to prevent a repeat. “We have announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information on each of the fugitives,” said Choudhary.
The BJP called it yet another example of ‘deteriorating law and order’. BJP state chief Rakesh Singh termed the incident ‘shameful’, and Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said they would raise the issue in assembly. “The government is not concerned about law and order. It is busy only with transfers,” said the BJP leader. Bhargava said: “The rise in murder, kidnapping and now a jail break are creating fear among people of the state. The Congress government is irresponsible.”
Home minister Bachchan dismissed BJP’s allegations on law and order as “baseless”, and said: “We’ve taken strict and prompt action in all the cases. This is not the first jailbreak in MP. Similar incidents happened in Khandwa and Bhopal during BJP regime.” The government will not spare anyone for the jailbreak, he told TOI over phone from Barwani. “Police will register cases against jail personnel too,” he said.
In October 2013, seven SIMI suspects made ropes out of bedsheets and escaped from Khandwa jail, but they were all arrested and thrown back in prison. Three of them joined five other SIMI suspects in breaking out of Bhopal jail in October 2016. All eight were gunned down within hours.