After freeing the suspects from the Leonard Cheelo police station in Lusaka, the capital, Detective Inspector Titus Phiri was taken into custody and fled.
The 13 inmates were charged with robbery, burglary, and assault.
A manhunt has been started to find them, and they are all now evading capture.
According to police spokeswoman Rae Hamoonga, on New Year’s Eve, Mr. Phiri “forcibly seized cell keys” from policeman Serah Banda while he was “intoxicated.”
“Subsequently, detective inspector Phiri unlocked both the male and female cells and instructed the suspects to leave, stating they were free to cross over into the new year,” he stated.
Thirteen of the fifteen suspects in detention managed to get away. The officer left the site after the confrontation.
