CHENNAI: Two prisoners including a Nepalese national went missing from Puzhal Central Prison in separate incidents within 24 hours, triggering an intensive search operation. A 21-year-old Nepalese undertrial prisoner went missing on Tuesday, with prison authorities suspecting he scaled a 23-foot-high wall to escape. The next morning, a Pocso case convict allegedly slipped away from a prison-run bazaar amid a crowd.
K Sujith Buhari (21), the Nepalese national, had been lodged in Puzhal-II for the past two months in connection with a theft case registered by JJ Nagar police. He reportedly went missing when inmates were allowed out of their cells for their morning routine. Sources said his family, which hails from Nepal, had settled in Chennai as migrant workers. Sujith was working at an electrical shop and was arrested on charges of stealing money from the shop, they added.
According to prison personnel, inmates are allowed out of their cells at 6 am to carry out daily activities within designated areas. Sujith was sweeping the block with other prisoners when he sought permission from the prison official in charge to visit the hospital at the prison, citing an ear problem. After obtaining permission, he allegedly headed towards a 23-foot-high wall near the watchtower and interview room, which separates the prison premises from the main road.
It is suspected that Sujith identified a spot while sweeping, and used a lungi and wires extending from the watchtower to scale the wall. However, prison authorities are still examining whether he escaped by scaling the wall or used another route.
Officials said the interview room’s exits led only to the prison premises and did not provide access outside.
In the second incident, Suresh, a convict lodged in Puzhal-I in connection with a Pocso case registered in 2019 in Maduravoyal, allegedly escaped from the prison bazaar around 10.30 am on Wednesday. Based on his conduct, prison authorities assigned him work at the prison-run outlet. He was attending to customers when he allegedly slipped away amid the crowd.
Prison authorities lodged complaints with Puzhal police on Wednesday regarding both incidents. The police as well as the prison authorities have formed special teams to trace the escapees and are examining CCTV footage to establish how they managed to leave the facility.
As part of the search, inquiries were conducted with the families of the escaped prisoners to check if the inmates got in touch with them or if they were making attempts to visit them. Other inmates who were in touch with the escapees were also questioned.