Guwahati: Two jail inmates convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act escaped from Morigaon District Jail on Wednesday early morning under mysterious circumstances, triggering a police manhunt.
The absconding prisoners have been identified as Jiarul Islam of Missamari, Sonitpur, and Subrata Sarkar of Jagiroad. Both were serving 20-year sentences under the stringent Act.
According to SP Morigaon Hemanta Kumar Das, the duo fled after cutting through the rods of their barrack window and scaling the prison wall using bedsheets and gamosas tied together as a makeshift rope.
Jail authorities later recovered the rods, bedsheets, and gamosas from the site of escape.
“The barrack was newly constructed and the rods were strong, so it is suspected that a hexa blade or tools from an under-construction building inside the campus were used. We are investigating the matter thoroughly,” said SP.
He added that Jiarul was a repeat offender, having previously escaped from jail before being rearrested in Andhra Pradesh.
This is not the first such incident at the facility. Barely ten months ago, five under-trial prisoners, all facing POCSO charges, dug a tunnel and escaped the same jail.
While four were later traced, one—Abdul Rashid—was found dead in a pond at Lahorighat three days after the escape. Two others remain untraced.
The latest incident has once again drawn attention to alleged negligence and poor security at Morigaon District Jail. Senior officials are expected to visit the premises soon to assess lapses and review preventive measures.
Meanwhile, police have launched a massive manhunt to trace Jiarul and Subrata.
