Security breach at Tihar Jail; two undertrials dig tunnel to escape

New Delhi: In a major security breach at Tihar Jail, two undertrials scaled the wall of the ward they were lodged in and then dug a tunnel through the boundary wall to escape from one of the most high-security prisons in the country. While one of them was later caught, the other one is still on the run and a mega manhunt has been launched to nab him.

The sensational jailbreak took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday and came to the notice of jail authorities only when the two inmates were found missing during the morning roll call. The two inmates who managed the daring escape were identified as Faizan and Javed both of whom were lodged in jail for burglaries.

According to prison sources, Faizan and Javed, both of them were lodged in Jail No. 7 of Tihar since the last couple of months. On Saturday night, they scaled the wall of the jail they were lodged in and reached Jail No. 8 whose wall is the perimeter wall of the complex.

The duo then dug a tunnel below this wall and escaped through a nearby drain. While Faizan was soon nabbed, Javed, who was arrested two months ago in a burglary case, managed to give jail authorities a slip. After desperate efforts to catch Javed by prison authorities failed, they finally informed police late on Sunday night.

A case was registered at West Delhi's Hari Nagar Police Station last night and several teams have been formed to nab the absconder. Tihar DG Alok Verma and DIG (Prisons) and spokesperson Mukesh Sharma did not respond to repeated phone calls for their version in the case. A senior police official said that the prison authorities informed them very late.

"In addition to launching a manhunt to nab the absconding inmate we are also investigating whether any insider was involved in this stunning jailbreak. They could not have dug a tunnel with bare hands, they must have used mechanical instruments. We are investigating the case from all possible angles," he said.