Four inmates, incarcerated for serious offences, escaped from Kanawati jail in Neemuch district, about 430 km from Bhopal, in the wee hours of Sunday. Two of these offenders were from Madhya Pradesh and two from Rajasthan, and all are under 30 years of age, police said.
Three of those who have escaped were serving sentences under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, while another was convicted in a rape case.
The Director General (Jails) Sanjay Choudhary ordered suspension of Neemuch jail superintendent R.K. Wasunia, holding him prima facie guilty of negligence. Also, four guards were suspended for negligence.
Deputy Inspector General (Jails) Mansha Ram Patel told media that a magisterial probe has been ordered in the jailbreak case. Action would be initiated on the basis of report, he said.
The suspended superintendent Wasunia earlier told media that the prisoners had cut the iron grill of barrack number 11, where they were incarcerated, and escaped using a rope that had been thrown in from outside. He ruled out any apparent connivance of jail guards and said it was a matter to be probed.
Meanwhile, 10 search parties have been constituted and sent in different directions to trace the escaped prisoners. Sources said that the escapees had developed ‘good relations’ with some jail guards and there might be an inside hand in the jailbreak.
Those who have escaped include: Narsingh Banjara (Rajasthan), 20, convicted under NDPS Act; Dubey Lal Dhurve, 19, convicted in rape case; Pankaj Mongia (Rajasthan), 21 and Lekh Ram Bawri, 29—both jailed under NDPS.
Jailbreaks in Madhya Pradesh had come under the radar after eight SIMI men escaped from Bhopal Central Jail in October 2016 and were later gunned down in an encounter.
