Trackback URL
Download PDF Police yesterday shot and injured one of the four escapees of Thursday night’s Chuadanga prison break after he allegedly attempted to run away from a police van following capture.
Meanwhile, the authorities concerned suspended six jail officials for their neglect of duty resulting in Thursday night’s Chuadanga jail break. The authorities have also put the 67 jails of the country on alert.
A probe body investigating the jail break blamed negligence of jail employees’ duty and poor construction of the Chuadanga District Jail.
Police yesterday captured Abdul Hamid, 42, at Chiaghoria village in Chuadanga Sadar, 31 hours after he escaped from jail, our correspondent in Kushtia reports.
Sources said Hamid, a gang boss, went to the house of Sirajul Islam around 7:30am and asked for shelter. He told Sirajul’s wife Romeja that he is sick and the police are after him. Romeja agreeing to provide shelter locked him in a room.
Her family informed police around 8:45am and a police team led by Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chuadanga Police Station Rabiul Islam cordoned off the house.
Hamid surrendered around 9:30am.
Police claimed on their return journey to town, Hamid jumped off of the vehicle and tried to run away near Chaighoria field with his handcuffs still on. Police fired three shots to stop him.
Hamid got shot twice in the leg. Police admitted him to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital for treatment.
Superintendent of Police Mafiz Uddin said police and other law enforcement agencies have quizzed the outlaw and gleaned information from him.
He said Hamid claimed that they had made the plan to flee from the jail two months ago.
They used a part of an abandoned broken handcuff to make a hole in the wall of the cell they were put into. They kept the hole hidden with old newspapers and blankets, police said. They used their blankets to scale the 18-foot-high jail wall.
Hamid also told police the other three escapees left him at Belgachhi in Sadar upazila around 6:30pm Friday. He told police they had plans to leave for India.
The prisoners on the run are Aktaruzzaman Sohag, 38, Jorap Ali, 32, and Ashiqur Rahman Tagar, 36. Hamid and Tagar were gang leaders, while Sohag and Jorap were cadres of outlawed Banglar Communist Party (BCP-Laltu).
Police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) are conducting special combing operations in 10 districts of the region.
PROBE COMMITTEE REPORT
One of the two committees formed to probe the prison break submitted its report yesterday.
The committee headed by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Chuadanga Subhas Chandra Saha and Magistrate Dipankar Kumar submitted their report to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Chuadanga.
The report blamed prison employees’ neglect of duty and weak construction of the prison building.
DC Mokhlesur Rahman said the probe body made a seven-point recommendation regarding the overall improvement of environment in the jail.
The other committee is to submit its report tomorrow.
JAILS ON ALERT
All jails in the country were put on alert after the prison break.
“We have asked officials at all jails to check that prison cells confining dangerous convicts are in good shape,” Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Maj Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said jail officials have been told to verify that all inmates are present every evening.
On the security of the two sub-jails at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban Complex, detaining the two former prime ministers, Haider said apart from jail guards, intelligence officials are always on red alert there.
The jailbreak in Chuadanga prompted prison officials in nine other districts of Khulna Division to tighten security, reports our staff correspondent in Khulna.
Superintendent of Jessore Central Jail Partho Gopal Banik said all the jails in the division have been on red alert since Friday as the prisons have hundreds of cadres of underground organisation and dozens of activists of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and other militant outfits.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
OH yes there are still many Prison officers veer round the chandlier of criminal thoughts, action & ideology.
Who will disagree.
Civil servents & police Officers must have decent salary & free ration & free Housing free School education for their children to maintain honesty.