A 23-year-old undertrial prisoner facing rape charges escaped while being taken inside a jail in Tripura’s Unakoti district, an official said on Friday.
An alert has been sounded along the international border, which is nearby, so that he cannot flee to Bangladesh.
The incident occurred when three undertrial prisoners were taken back to Kailashahar jail on Thursday evening after their production in a court, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kailahahar Pradip Sarkar said.
Normally, the hearing of cases in the police court concludes at around 3 pm but it has gone up to 7 pm on Thursday.
When they alighted from the prison van in front of the jail to be taken inside after returning from the court, it was dark. The rape accused then ran away taking advantage of the situation, Sarkar said.
“An alert has been sounded along the border so that he cannot sneak into Bangladesh,” Sarkar said.
The fugitive was booked under the POCSO Act in October.
The two others undertrials, however, were taken inside the jail safely.
