RAWALAKOT: At least 20 inmates escaped from Rawalakot District Poonch Jail after taking the police personnel hostage.
As per details, the police officials stated the prisoners opened fire on cops, injuring one inmate who was arrested and succumbed later.
According to police, the escaped prisoners include dangerous criminals, according to police. A shootout exchange occurred between police and prisoners on the outskirts of the city, and a search operation is underway.
The escapees reportedly overpowered a policeman at gunpoint before engaging in a shootout with police.
The situation escalated as the most dangerous among the fugitives, including death row inmates, managed to flee. In response, authorities have heightened security across the district and cordoned off the city of Rawalakot.
The police are working to track down the fugitives and restore order in the area. The police have released a list of the escaped prisoners and a heavy contingent has been deployed in the area.
A search operation is underway to recapture the fleeing inmates, SSP Rawalakot said.
According to police, the deceased prisoner identified as Khayyam was arrested on drug-related charges.
The district jail staff has been taken into custody, and an investigation is underway.
In a separate incident, several inmates escaped the prison in Balochistan’s Chaman after overpowering guards when they were allowed out of cells for Fajr prayers.
The incident unfolded as the inmates of barrack No. 4 were being led out for prayers. Seizing a moment of opportunity, the prisoners launched a sudden and coordinated attack on the prison guards, overpowering them and taking control of the situation.
Sources within the prison reported that many of the prisoners involved in serious criminal cases, including murder and other heinous crimes, had been housed in barrack No. 4.
The prison authorities revealed that one inmate was killed in the ensuing retaliatory gunfire by the police. Two others sustained injuries during the clash and are currently receiving medical treatment.