Two brothers flee from Ludhiana jail, minister Randhawa orders inquiry
› This is a very serious matter and such incidents will not be tolerated. I have directed IG (jail), Ludhiana range DIG and commissioner to visit the spot and take stock of the situation. SUKHJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA, Punjab jail minister
LUDHIANA: Accused of burglary, two brothers on Sunday fled from Ludhiana Central Jail where they were cooling their heels as undertrials. It was only in the evening that their absence was noticed when the jail officials counted the heads.
The investigating officials have found out that the duo escaped by scaling the compound wall near visitors’ room.
The brothers have been identified as Jasvir Singh and Harvinder Singh, who were facing trials under separate cases of theft and NDPS Act.
Punjab jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, meanwhile on Monday took serious note of the incident and ordered an inquiry besides directing the IG (jail) to submit report within two days.
He said it was ‘a very serious matter’ and such incidents will not be tolerated. He has also asked DIG (Ludhiana Range) and Ludhiana police commissioner to visit the jail and review the situation.
FATEHGARH SAHIB POLICE ALERTED
After a futile search operation by jail staff and local police, Fatehgarh Sahib police were alerted, who then increased the vigilance at their native village Ratan Palo in Amloh.
On Monday morning, inspector general (prisons) RK Arora, deputy inspector general (DIG, prisons) Lakhvir Singh Jakhar and additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, city-4) Rajvir Singh Boparai along with Division Number 7 police reached the spot and initiated investigation. ADCP Boparai said, “It seems the accused managed to escape by scaling a compound wall on the left side of the jail’s main gate. The accused went near the visitors’ room, where the height of wall is comparably low.”
“Tiffin and foot marks of the accused have also been spotted near the wall,” he added.
The accused had in February stolen 120-gm jewellery by breaking open a locker of Andhra Bank’s Rasulra branch in Khanna.
They had also taken away the security guard’s rifle that the latter had left behind after the day’s work.
The Khanna police had solved the case and arrested both of them.
After getting bail in this case, they again landed in police net.
This time, Harvinder Singh was arrested in a drug peddling case, while Jasvir Singh was held in another burglary case.
The accused are already facing trials in several cases of theft and smuggling.
Before his present term, Jasvir had already served imprisonment in the same jail and knew about every nook and corner of the prison.
100 GUARDS AGAINST 3,200 INMATES
The jail has only 100 guards for around 3,200 inmates lodged here. Of these employees, 30 to 35 remain on duty per shift. The jail was also getting 25 commandos from the central industrial security force (CISF), who were yet to reach here.
The jail has staff stationed at watch towers on the back side, but there is no such provision on the front side.
Though there is deployment outside the main gate, neither the officials on duty nor police patrol team noticed them fleeing.
NOT THE FIRST SUCH CASE
Three inmates of the Ludhiana Central Jail had escaped from the prison on September 20, 2012.
They had scaled the wall of the jail premises with the help of a rope and jumped outside in the wee hours.