In a daring jailbreak, 299 inmates including 110 Naxals escaped from the Dantewada jail in Chattisgarh after prison guards were overpowered in a planned action in which three guards and two undertrials were injured during firing and clashes.
The incident happened around 1635 hours when the inmates were being served food after a lone Naxalite commandar Sujit Kumar overpowered a jail guard inside the prison and snatched his weapon.
Kumar then fired and injured three other guards, Dantewada jail sources told PTI over phone. As many as 377 inmates are in the district prison, about 375 km from the state capital, which is located in a naxal infested area.
The Naxals snatched six rifles of the guards and one wireless set belonging before they fled.
Rahul Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Dantewada said the jail break was a 'premeditated conspiracy' hatched by the undertrials. A search operation has been launched.
Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam told PTI that Dantewada Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma had informed him that they are facing problems in getting into the jungle in the night to look for the escaped inmates and are waiting for the crack of dawn to start a larger search.
Neighbouring states like Maharashtra, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh have been alerted along with other districts of the state, they said.
Director General (Jail) Sant Kumar Paswan had also been asked to rush to the spot to take stock of the situation, Netam said.
Meanwhile, official sources said the District Collector and the SP have been asked separately by the state government to submit reports on the incident and after that action will be taken against the officials who are responsible for the security lapses.
The officials also admitted that the local police of Dantewada were facing problem in the search operation to trace the inmates as the incident took place in the evening.
"The Maoists have planted landmines in many places of Bastar region, including Dantewada district, and entering the jungle in the evening will be directly getting into the Naxal trap," a top anti-naxal operation official said.
