2 scale Tihar walls, 1 held red-handed; Centre seeks report

The Union Home Ministry on Monday sought a report on the sensational break out from India's high security Tihar Jail, from the Delhi Government  and the prison administration. Also, lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung has ordered a magisterial enquiry.

In a shocking incident, two prisoners managed to flee from Tihar Jail after scaling three boundary walls on Saturday afternoon. One of the prisoners, identified as Faizan (19), was later caught by the jail security staff from near an open drain that the two had jumped into after scaling the outer boundary wall. The other, identified as Javed alias Rinku (18), is still on the run. 

Director-General (Prisons) Alok Kumar Verma told The Pioneer that an internal enquiry has been initiated and the security has been beefed up inside the prisons. A case under Section 223 (escape from confinement) and 224 (Resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at Hari Nagar Police Station. 

The Tihar administration got to know about the jail break after they found the two inmates, convicted for thefts, missing from a 'Roza' ward, especially arranged for 21 Muslim prisoners to offer prayers during Ramzan in Jail No. 7.

"The two inmates were found missing during the Saturday evening roll call. We immediately raised an alarm and alerted the security staffs of each jail," said DIG Mukesh Prasad. 

"After a sustained search in and around the jail premises, one of the fugitives, Faizan, was caught by our staff from near the open drain running along the outer boundary of the jail, while Javed managed to flee," said Prasad. 

First the prisoners scaled the 13 feet high boundary wall of Jail No. 7, then they made a hole in the middle wall of Jail No. 8 to reach the outer boundary wall that is topped with barbed wire and then they climbed this wall to make their daring escape. 

A Tihar official said the undertrials took the help of other inmates to climb the wall of Jail No. 7. After crossing this, they broke a portion of the wall of Jail No. 8 with the help of some heavy objects and reached 'Kot Mauka', a space between the two boundaries used for inspections. From there, they scaled the outer boundary wall of the jail by climbing atop some construction material and debris left there by the PWD. They exploited the gap between the wall and the barbed wired fencing on the outer wall and escaped, he said.  

A police team interrogated Faizan inside the prison on Monday, while several teams of Delhi Police, including Special Cell and Crime Branch have launched a search to nab Javed. 

ENDS