The Hindu : New Delhi News : L-G orders inquiry into jailbreak

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Friday, Jul 08, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

L-G orders inquiry into jailbreak

Staff Reporter

Will ascertain whether the escape was pre-planned, involvement of policemen

NEW DELHI: The Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, B.L. Joshi, has ordered an inquiry into Wednesday's jailbreak in which 13 undertrials escaped from the court complex of Tihar Central Jail.

Headed by Divisional Commissioner G. K. Marwah, the inquiry will ascertain whether the escape was pre-planned and, if so, were the personnel of the Delhi Armed Police (DAP), who escort the undertrials to the court, involved. The inquiry will also look into the loopholes in the security set-up in Tihar and suggest remedies for the same.

The undertrials had escaped from the Tihar court complex, located in the administration block, on Wednesday afternoon after they were produced there. While one of them was overpowered within the premises, two others were nabbed from nearby Pankha Road.

Escapee surrenders

Meanwhile, one of the undertrials surrendered before the Delhi police on Thursday. The Joint Commissioner of Police (DAP), Deepak Mishra, received a call claiming that one of the undertrials wanted to surrender. The undertrial, later identified as Zaheer Abbas, a resident of Mandawali in East Delhi, was summoned to the Vikaspuri police lines where he surrendered before the officer.

Mr. Mishra said Zaheer, accused in a case of attempt to suicide, told the police that he had stayed up all night at the Inter-State Bus Terminus in Kashmere Gate. "We questioned him to find out if he had any idea about the conspiracy and whether any of our men were involved. But he did not seem to have any idea about the plan to escape. His claims are being verified," said Mr. Mishra.

Ran in different directions

The officer added that after escaping, Zaheer and other undertrials ran in different directions and all of them were on their own. Zaheer apparently decided to take advantage of the situation on the spur of the moment, but was later overcome by a sense of guilt after which he surrendered, he added. He had tried to commit suicide after he purportedly came to know that his wife was having affairs with other men.

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