11 suspended as two inmates escape from Jaipur Central Jail

Jaipur, Sep 20 (IANS) A major security breach at Jaipur Central Jail has led to the suspension of 11 officials, including the deputy jailer, after two inmates cut through iron bars and escaped.

The prisoners, Naval Kishore Mahawar and Anas Kumar, roamed inside the premises for over an hour and a half as guards on duty slept.

They later scaled the 26-foot-high boundary wall with the help of a plastic pipe before fleeing in the early hours of Saturday. According to the investigation, the duo first attempted to climb the women’s jail wall situated near Central Jail using a blanket, but it tore.

Later, they used an 18-foot plastic pipe from the garden area to scale the 26-foot-high boundary wall near the visiting room around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday. Both men sustained injuries while escaping.

Anas suffered a head wound after falling from the wall and was later caught at his Malpura Gate residence by Lalkothi police at 4 p.m.

His associate, Naval Kishore, is still absconding.

The jailbreak has triggered swift action. Deputy Jailer Ramcharan Meena, seven jail guards (including two women), and three RAC personnel have been suspended.

Departmental inquiries are underway. Suspended personnel include Chief Constable Rekha Lakhera, Constables Anita Jajoria, Manoj Kumar Meena, Dharamveer Gurjar, Ratan Singh Rathore, Manoj Verma, and Maya Jat, along with RAC personnel Subhash, Ashok Kumar, and Tarachand. Jaipur Central Jail houses over 2,100 inmates across 14 wards. Normally, one guard is posted per ward, except Ward 10, which holds hardcore criminals and has two guards.

On Friday night, 15–18 jail staff were on duty, yet no one noticed the escape. CCTV footage later confirmed that several guards were asleep during the incident.

The prisoners had cut the iron rods late at night, bent them to create an opening, and left their barrack around 2 a.m.

They searched for escape routes for over an hour before climbing the boundary wall with the plastic pipe. Police and jail administration continue to search for Naval Kishore.

--IANS

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