5 undertrial prisoners escape from Assam jail using bed sheets, blankets, lungis

MORIGAON: Five undertrial prisoners escaped from the Morigaon District Jail in Assam on Friday morning, according to officials.
"The jailbreak took place between 1 am and 2 am," said Morigaon's district commissioner Devashish Sharma.
"All the five undertrials were accused of cases filed under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. They were arrested from Morigaon and Sonitpur districts," he said.
The inmates broke the iron grille of their cell and used bed sheets, blankets, and lungis to fashion a rope, allowing them to climb down from the jail's 20-foot-high boundary wall, another official reported.
A search is currently underway to apprehend them, he added.
Sharma stated that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident, which will also investigate any potential lapses by the jail security personnel.
"Of the five persons, three were arrested for cases registered at the Laharighat police station, and one each from Moirabari and Tezpur police station areas," he added.
(Inputs from agency)