Punjab CM orders magisterial inquiry into the escape of 3 prisoners from Central Jail

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the escape of three prisoners from Amritsar Central Jail.

As per the official statement, the authorities have launched a state-wide hunt for the escaped prisoners. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has also ordered ADGP Jails to recondition the prison security after the escape incident. The escape incident came into notice at around 3.20 a.m., less than two hours after the CCTV cameras showed the undertrial prisoners breaking their barracks and escaping by scaling the inner and outer walls of the jail.

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The police authorities have identified the escaped prisoners as Vishal, Gurpreet, and Jarnail.  Out of the three, Vishal is accused in a rape case that was registered last year, Gurpreet and Jarnail, who are brothers, were jailed for snatching.

Taking serious consideration of the security loophole, the Chief Minister stated that the prison security would be reviewed and further strengthened, not just in this jail but in the others across the state too. 

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DGP gives details of the escape

Giving details on the escape, DGP Dinkar Gupta said the men made a hole in the wall of their barrack by removing about 10 bricks. Vishal's brother Gaurav, also in the same barrack, chose not to flee with them, said the DGP.

"They then appear to have scaled the inner wall - which is about 16-feet high - by standing one atop the other. While the outer wall - approx 21-feet - was crossed by them using a hook made of a steel bar and the cover of a quilt to make a ladder. They finally escaped the jail complex from a point near Tower no. 10, which was not under CCTV cover," DGP Dinkar Gupta said, as per an official statement.

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(With inputs from ANI)