Authorities are still looking for the 19 detainees who made a daring escape from Rawalakot District Jail in Azad Kashmir four days ago. The June 30th escape has caused indignation and brought up major questions regarding the jail’s security.
The escapees are still at large despite a comprehensive search and rescue effort that includes drones, state-of-the-art equipment, and a substantial reward of Rs30 lakh to Rs1 crore for information that leads to their recovery.
The incident is being looked into by a judicial inquiry committee, which is led by Secretary of the Government Chaudhry Raqeeb.
Six death row inmates—some of whom are wanted by India—as well as other prisoners serving sentences varying from 10 to 25 years are among the escapees. A gang of inmates that got past the jail’s security helped the escape.
Police bullets killed one prisoner during the effort to break out. The Deputy Superintendent of Jail and seven other officials were taken into custody for carelessness after the incident.