Amritsar: Central jail in Punjab’s Amritsar saw an escape of three inmates who dug a big hole in their barracks and then scaled two outer boundary walls under cover of thick fog early on Sunday morning.
The jailbreak happened at around 3.20 am on Sunday, following which a statewide hunt was launched to nab the escaped prisoners, identified by these names- Jarnail Singh alias Prince, and Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, who are brothers from Khadoor Sahib in Tarn Taran district — and Vishal Sharma, a resident of Amritsar’s Majitha Road.
The brothers were in jail for being allegedly involved in a snatching case since July 2019 while Vishal was behind bars since April 19 last year in a rape case under the Pocso Act.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered a magisterial probe by Jalandhar commissioner into the incident.
He ordered jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa to immediately suspend, pending inquiry, all those responsible for prison security. He also ordered additional director-general of police (prisons) Praveen Kumar Sinha to revamp prison security across the state.
Madhya Pradesh: Four prisoners escape from Kanawati Sub Jail; authorities order manhunt
The Chief Minister said the security of all the jails in the state will be reviewed and further strengthened. At present, Central Reserve Police Force personnel are deployed at the main entrance, high-security zone and for frisking purposes in four prisons in the state, including Amritsar central jail.
The three undertrials escaped the jail complex from a point near Tower No. 10, which was not under CCTV surveillance.
ADGP Praveen Kumar Sinha said that three undertrials, who were lodged in barrack number 2/7 of the ‘Kendri Sudhar Ghar’ within the jail complex, had used an iron rod to make a hole in their barrack and then scaled both the inner and outer walls of the prison using a turban and a blanket.
Punjab CM launches water supply, sewerage schemes worth Rs 197 crore
Seven jail employees in Amritsar, including two assistant superintendents Purshottam Lal and Gian Singh, have been suspended. Legal action will be taken against warders Dheer Singh and Shamsher Singh and Kashmir Singh of Punjab home guards who were on duty.
