Policemen collect evidence outside the site following the brazen attack in DI Khan. PHOTO: REUTERS

DI KHAN: Police on Wednesday rearrested 45 prisoners who had escaped the Central Jail DI Khan on July 29, Express News reported.



Around 150 heavily armed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants freed 248 prisoners, including more than 49 hardcore militants, some belonging to the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, during a sophisticated attack on the high-security DI Khan jail.



During multiple raids today, police arrested these prisoners from five different places in the city.



The escapees are held in the jails of the areas they were arrested from and will later be shifted to the Central Jail.



Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak had said that strict action will be taken against those responsible for the attack and no one will be spared.



Inmates had prior knowledge of attack



In the latest update on the incident, Express News learned that the prison inmates were well aware of the attack about to be made and began gearing up for the jailbreak immediately after the first gunshot.



Reports indicate that after breaking in, the attackers stayed for a comfortable three hours inside the jail before attempting escape. Armed with guns, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and bombs, they then bombarded the prison before fleeing with their partners.



All the while, jail officials hid themselves in underground 'nullahs' even though only a night before, they were put through a precautionary security drill preparing them for just such an attack.



An official of the district police told The Express Tribune that “around 248 prisoners escaped from the jail, including 49 high-profile militants, six death row prisoners and five females”.



Inspector General Police (Prisons) Khalid Abbas told The Express Tribune that the terrorists stormed the jail around midnight Monday.



“They were armed with RPG-7 anti-tank rockets, heavy and medium machine guns and automatic rifles,” he said, adding that the attackers were also equipped with improvised explosive devices and attacked the building in two groups.