Gorakhpur (UP), Aug 1 (PTI) An undertrial prisoner booked under the POCSO Act escaped from the district jail here by allegedly scaling its boundary wall, leading to the suspension of the jailer and four warders, according to officials.
The inmate, Vipin (21), a resident of Sarsopar village in Bansgaon, escaped on July 31, the officials said on Saturday.
He had been lodged in prison since July 18 in connection with a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), they said.
Senior Jail Superintendent Dilip Kumar Pandey said the undertrial escaped after scaling the newly constructed main boundary wall while he was under the supervision of Jail Warder Jitendra Kumar Gautam and Head Jail Warder Gyan Prakash Srivastava.
A case has been registered at the Shahpur police station. Police teams are scanning CCTV footage and conducting raids at possible hideouts to trace the fugitive, he said.
Following a preliminary inquiry, Director General (Prisons) P C Meena suspended Jail Warders Gautam and Jitendra Kumar Dubey, Head Jail Warders Gyan Prakash Srivastava and Ramjeet Singh, and Jailer Arun Kumar on Saturday, the officials said.
Departmental proceedings have also been initiated against them, while disciplinary action has been recommended against Senior Jail Superintendent Pandey.
District Magistrate Deepak Meena and Senior Superintendent of Police Kaustubh inspected the jail after the incident. It is suspected that the undertrial climbed down using tree branches near the rear side of the prison compound before fleeing, the officials said.
According to sources, the prison authorities searched all barracks and the prison premises for nearly five hours before formally reporting the escape. PTI COR CDN DIV DIV
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