Calcutta, Feb, 8 :    Calcutta, Feb, 8:  The 'showdown' in the prison van on Thursday could well have been a sham. In a bid to escape from custody, Sheikh Vinod and Gudda had conspired to attack each other in the van on way to Alipore court from Presidency jail, according to preliminary investigations by the police A deputy commissioner (DC) probing the incident told Metro that two private cars were waiting for Gudda on Baker Road, about 100 yards from the court. 'We have evidence that another car and two jeeps were waiting for Vinod and his associates near the Alipore horticulture gardens,'' the officer said. 'Henchmen were waiting for Vinod and Gudda in the vehicles. They sped away when the police arrived,'' he added. Gudda and Vinod had bribed jail staff and some policemen to stage-manage the fight in the van, the DC said. 'We are working on information that both paid Rs 10,000 to the jail staff and policemen,'' he added. Inspector-general, jails, Anil Kumar, on Friday directed his department to probe the matter. Additional commissioner of police Kiriti Sengupta said his officers were investigating the incident. 'Policemen found guilty of dereliction of duty will be punished,'' he asserted. On Thursday, 19 undertrials, including Sheikh Vinod, five associates and Gudda, had boarded the prison van in Presidency jail for Alipore court. As the van crossed Bhabani Bhavan and approached the court, Vinod and Seukumar Razzak attacked Gudda with a razor and knives. Gudda fought back and a free-for-all ensued in the prison van. Guards in the van were beaten up by the criminals. The driver, sensing trouble, drove into the court compound and alerted the police control room over wireless. Three mobile police patrol cars and officer-in-charge of Alipore police station, Pinaki Mondol, converged on the spot before the criminals could open the door and jump out of the vehicle. Both Gudda and Razzak were severely injured and could not be produced in court. Investigators cited three reasons that had raised their suspicion that the jail staff had been bribed and the fight stage-managed: Vinod and Gudda have different areas of operation. Why would they draw daggers over turf? If Vinod had wanted to attack Gudda, he could have done so in jail. Why did he choose the van? An officer saw Gudda winking at Vinod after the cops arrived. 'Gudda and Vinod smirked and winked at each other,'' claimed the officer-in-charge of Alipore police station. The criminals were searched before being put into the prison van. How did they get hold of razors and knives? A senior inspector and a deputy commissioner of police interrogated under-trials on Friday afternoon.