The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Chuadanga

Authorities yesterday ordered a massive manhunt alerting Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border guards after four "hardcore criminals" serving life imprisonments fled the district jail breaking their prison cells.

"A countrywide alert was issued as police, RAB and army-led joint forces launched a massive manhunt for the jail breakers," deputy commissioner of Chuadanga Mokhlesur Rahman told BSS.

Police super of the district Mofizuddin Ahmed said, coloured photographs of the four criminals, one of them having links with an outlawed ultra left outfit, were circulated in police stations across the country and BDR outposts in frontlines.

Jail officials said, the four, who were kept at a single cell, fled the prison at about 2 am last night by breaking a wall of a jail ward and crossed the boundary wall using blankets as ropes.

The deputy commissioner and police super, however, said they managed to flee the jail apparently without any external help but investigations were underway to find how the incident took place.

The prisoners who fled away are: Ashiqur Rahman of Swihat under Kushtia, Hamid Laskar of Jadabpur village under Chuadanga sadar upazila, Aktaruzzaman of Bhandardah village of Chuadanga sadar and Jorap Ali of Khash Korora village under Alamdanga upazila of the same district.

Jail officials said, one of them was jailed for 80 years, while others were serving 70 year, 50 year and 46 year jail terms for several charges including murders.

Inspector general of prisons Brigadier General Zakir Hassan and senior civil and military officials visited the jail while jail authorities promised stern actions against persons to be found responsible or have neglected duties allowing the jailbreak.

The police super, however, said the jail was housed in a dilapidated building, which had eased the criminals, who were staying at the same jail for past several years, to break the prison.

Chudanga's deputy commissioner constituted a two-member inquiry committee headed by the additional district magistrate of the district asking it to submit a report in next 24 hours while the IG prisons ordered another investigation constituting a separate two- member committee headed by the deputy inspector of prisons of Rajshahi.