2 weeks after Amritsar jailbreak, iron roads seized from 2 inmates

Around two weeks after three undertrials escaped from the Amritsar central jail, the authorities have seized two iron roads from two inmates. This has, once again, raised a question mark on the security of the prison.

On February 2, three undertrials had made a hole in a barrack wall using an iron rod and escaped the high-security jail by scaling its inner and outer walls.

The two rods were seized on Friday during a routine checking. Assistant jail superintendent Ajmer Singh said a sharp-edged iron rod was recovered from barrack number 4 during the checking. “The rod was kept hidden by Bagga Singh, an undertrial against whom a case has been registered under the Arms Act. He is a resident of Gehri Para village in Bathinda district,” he said.

Assistant jail superintendent Sukhdev Singh said another iron rod was recovered from barrack number 2 under the pillow of inmate Avtar Singh alias Tari, who is facing trial in a theft case. He is a resident of Chhete Khurd village in Amritsar.

An official said inmates manage to take out iron roads from the building of the jail due to poor quality of construction material.

Earlier, Punjab jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had said a preliminary inquiry into the February 2 jailbreak suggested poor quality of construction material helped the prisoners escape from the jail.

On Friday, the authorities also seized a mobile phone from the possession of inmate Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir.

The three accused have been booked under Sections 42 and 52A of the Prisons Act at Islamabad police station.