KALABURAGI: Three convicts, lodged at the Central Jail of Kalaburagi, escaped from the prison around 4.30 am on Tuesday. Following it, eight prison officials were suspended pending inquiry for dereliction of duty.
The escaped convicts are Mastan of Islampur village in Basavakalyan taluk, Santosh Basappa of Santpur village of Aurad taluk and Sagar Bhimaraya of Bakchoudi village of Bidar taluk. They were serving life imprisonment for different crimes.
They escaped by jumping over the security wall and the jail staff came to know about it only later on Tuesday morning. The jail staff filed a complaint at Fartabad police station and an FIR has been registered.
Kalaburagi Police Commissioner Dr Sharanappa SD, who visited the prison, told the TNIE that three teams have been constituted to search and arrest the convicts.
DIG Prisons (Belagavi) M Somashekhar visited the jail premises on Tuesday evening and held an inquiry with the prison officials.
8 jail staffers suspended after prisoners escape
Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Alok Kumar told TNIE that three warders, two head warders, one assistant superintendent, one superintendent and one executive jailer have been suspended on charges of dereliction of duty. The new jail superintendent is expected to take charge on Wednesday.
State General secretary of Backward Class Morcha of BJP Avvanna Mykeri alleged that Home Minister Priyank Kharge, under whom the prisons department falls, has failed to maintain law and order in his home district of Kalaburagi, from where the prisoners escaped.
He said the district in-charge minister should own moral responsibility and resign.