Two prisoners escaped from Warangal Central Jail in Telangana early on Saturday, police said. A manhunt is on to nab the convicts.
The jail break at the high security prison in Warangal district is believed to have occurred between 2.30 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Sainik Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh and Rajesh Yadav of Bihar, scaled the prison wall with the help of bedspreads and escaped.
Both convicts were shifted from Cherlapally Jail on the outskirts of Hyderabad to Warangal Central Jail a couple of months ago as they were involved in fighting with prison staff.
Sainik Singh was convicted for five years in theft of an AK-47 rifle while Rajesh Yadav was serving life sentence for a murder.
Police launched a hunt for the notorious criminals in Warangal and surrounding districts. Officials said a tight vigil was being kept at bus and railway stations.
More From This Section
The jail break sent shock waves in the prison department. Senior officials rushed to the jail and began an investigation.
A probe is on to find out how they managed to break open the cell and scale the high walls without being noticed by the guards.
The officials were also trying to find out if CCTV cameras were functioning. They are suspecting that the wires atop the compound wall were not electrified at the time of the escape.
--IANS
ms/in/rn