india

Updated: Jun 23, 2019 22:30 IST

Four prisoners, including one convicted for rape and another facing trial in a murder case, escaped from a Madhya Pradesh jail in the wee hours of Sunday, police officials familiar with the matter said.

According to police, the inmates used a sharp-edged objectto cut the iron bars of their barrack and then scaled the22-feetwall of the Kanawati Sub Jail, located on the outskirts of Neemuch district, with the help of a rope. Police officials said they were probing how the inmates accessed a sharp-edged object and rope inside the prison and were also investigating if jail officials helped them escape.

“The prisoners escaped with the help of outsiders. Five jail officials and four guards have been suspended for dereliction of duty. We have announced a reward of ~50,000 for anyone who helps us nab the inmates,” state director general (prisons) Sanjay Choudhary said.

Police have identified the four prisoners as Nar Singh, 20, Pankaj Mongiya, 21 — both serving a 10-year jail term under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Actfor smuggling narcotics substance—Dubelal Dhurve, 19, convicted in a rape case, and Lekharam Babri, 29, a murder accused.

According to police, security had been stepped up in areas bordering Rajasthan and efforts were on to trace the four.

In October 2016, eight members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail. They were gunned down hours later by the police.