Tihar jail

New Delhi, July 6: Twelve undertrials escaped from the high-security Tihar jail complex today while being taken to a court on the premises.

The incident has again brought under glare the security lapses at what is regarded as the most fortified prison in the country.

Thirteen undertrials were being taken to the court on the jail premises and had been kept in a police lock-up. Around 3.30 pm, 12 of them managed to break the latch of the lock-up and escaped by scaling the wall.

The outer gates of the prison complex were immediately closed.

A hunt was launched and two of them were caught around 4.30 pm from the nearby Pankha Road. However, the rest are still on the run.

Jail officials have pinned the responsibility on Delhi Armed Police (DAP) as the prisoners were in their custody when they fled.

The jail security is manned not by Delhi police but Tamil Nadu police and CRPF personnel. The DAP takes over when prisoners are in transit to court.

“An inquiry will be conducted into this. It is a fact that they were in the custody of the Delhi police when it happened. But this is not an excuse as the break happened on the jail premises,” said Deepak Mishra, joint commissioner (armed police).

Jail officials said the undertrials were facing charges that ranged from rape to armed robbery to dacoity.

Strict vigil is being maintained at all exit points from the city and efforts are on to trace the others, police said.

The chinks in the security of Tihar jail had been exposed last year when Sher Singh Rana, the alleged murderer of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi, staged a sensational escape.

His associate, posing as a policeman, had escorted Rana from the jail on the basis of a forged court production warrant.

The maximum-security jail houses prisoners like Mohammad Afzal and Shaukat Hassan Guru, accused in the Parliament attack case; and Farooq Ahmed Kasid and Nasir Ahmed, charged with involvement in the attack on Red Fort.