13 inmates flee from Rewari Covid jail after cutting grilles

THE REWARI JAIL WAS RECENTLY TURNED INTO A DEDICATED CENTRE FOR INMATES TESTING POSITIVE FOR VIRUS, SAID OFFICIALS

: Thirteen inmates infected with Covid escaped from Rewari jail last night, prison officials said on Sunday.

They were lodged in the section designated for Covid patients and fled after cutting grilles of their barracks on Saturday night, Rewari superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek Jorwal said, adding that there was negligence on the part of jail staff.

“One of staff member was deployed inside the barrack and another outside, and both of them were sleeping when the incident took place,” Jorwal said.

Those who escaped from the jail are Jitender, Ajit, Deepak, Naveen Sharma, Dharmpal, Anuj, Om Parkash, Abhishek, Balwan, Sakti, Ashish, Rajesh and Rinku.

Six of them are facing murder charges, three have been booked for rioting and criminal intimidation, one each for murder bid, under Section 34 of the IPC and provisions of the Arms Act and one for theft.

A senior jail official said the inmates scaled the prison wall and jumped to the other side.

“Nine of these prisoners were booked by Mahendergarh police, mostly in Narnaul, Satnali and Ateli, while cases against four were registered in Rewari.

These inmates were sent there after they tested positive for Covid. Most of them came from Nasibpur jail where 284 inmates had contracted the infection,” the official added.

The Rewari jail was recently turned into a dedicated centre for inmates testing positive for virus. The under-construction jail is 80% complete and houses a team of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses and others, to monitor the health status of inmates.

The SP said, “CIA teams of Rewari and various SHOs have been alerted about the incident. Efforts are on to nab these inmates.”