Tura: The sensational jail break by half a dozen prisoners in broad daylight on a lazy Sunday afternoon was made possible due to the absence of armed police personnel manning the outer perimeter of the prison, it is learnt.
Highly placed sources from the prison department reveal that the time when the escape took place the armed police battalion personnel were on ‘off-duty’ outside the prison premises.
The Shillong Times has learnt that the armed police personnel manning the main front gate are releaved of their duties from 12 noon to 3 PM to give them time for relaxation since they have to return to work three hours later which then stretches well into the night and the next morning.
During the three hour break time the unarmed prison guards perform the security duty, it is learned.
The prisoners who planned the break are believed to have been aware of the system in place.
To make matters worse, they took advantage of the games period in the afternoon to launch their operation.
Jail authorities reveal that one of the prisoners approached the temporary assistant warden on the other end of the security gate for the volleyball game set.
When the gate was opened to handover the ball and net, five other prisoners waiting nearby rushed out and reportedly overpowered the warden and came out of the premises taking advantage of the outer gate which had also been left open and unattended.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that more convicts and prisoners tried to emulate their six comrades who fled to freedom but their attempts were cut short thanks to the quick response by an alert battalion constable on armed duty in a watch tower above the prison.
When the unarmed off duty policemen were trying to halt the escape of the six prisoners outside the jail premises leading to a fist fight, a lone battalion constable on duty in the watch tower spotted the scuffle taking place below.
The constable, who was unable to open fire for fear of hitting one of his own men during the struggle immediately pushed the alarm button to alert the others.
He reportedly rushed down from the tower into the prison compound and confronted another group of ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘wannabe’ escapees pointing his service rifle in their direction and deterring them from taking the leap until additional help arrived.
