SIALKOT - Six under-trial prisoners managed to escape from the police custody after breaking the Sambrial judicial lockup bathroom here on Saturday.
A nine-member police team led by ASI M Ayub brought 27 accused to the judicial lock-up for producing them before the local courts. The police locked the accused in the judicial lock up Sambrial from where, the six prisoners managed to escape after breaking the ventilator of the lockup bathroom while the police knew the situation after they had managed to escape. However, the rest of 21 accused remained in the judicial lockup.
The fugitives were identified as Azmat alias Motu and Luqman alias Gona, residents of village Waan-Begowala nominated in a murder case lodged at Begowala police station; M Qasim of village Dhaanaanwali nominated in murder case at Airport police station; Akhtar Ghulam Rasul of village Kang Chheelokey; Zubair Latif of village Pakki Kotli-Daska nominated in a case lodged at Sambrial police station; and Muzamal Shafiq of Gakhar Mandi-Gujranwala nominated in a case at Sambrial police station.
Azmat alias Motu and Luqman alias Gona were brothers. They had also allegedly killed two police constables in an encounter near Begowala police station about two years ago.
DPO Gohar Nafees rushed to the spot and inquired about the negligence. The DPO immediately suspended from service ASI M Ayub and nine other police officials and ordered the registration of a case against them for their slackness and negligence in this regard.
He told newsmen that special police teams led by senior police officials had been formulated to ensure early arrest of the fleeing accused. He said that the fugitives would soon be arrested. The escape of six dangerous accused from police custody showed lapse in security as the judicial lock ups Sambrial had never been checked by the senior police officials for security purpose, sources said.