Tripura jailbreak: One more fugitive re-arrested; hunt for others continues

Agartala, Oct 10 (IANS) With one more fugitive arrested from neighbouring Assam on Friday, three of the six jailbreakers, who escaped from a jail in Tripura last week, have so far been apprehended, officials said.

An official said that six inmates -- five undertrial prisoners and one serving life imprisonment -- escaped from the Dharmanagar Sub-Jail in north Tripura district in the early hours of October 1 after assaulting a guard with sharp weapons.

He said that a Tripura police team led by Sub-Inspector Biswajeet Das of Dharmanagar police station in north Tripura on Friday re-arrested Rahim Ali from Sribhumi district (formerly Karimganj district) of adjoining southern Assam.

The Assam Police helped the Tripura police team in rearresting Rahim Ali, the official added.

The official said that Abdul Patta and Narayan Chandra Datta were apprehended on October 1 and October 2 respectively from the Dharmanagar police station areas.

North Tripura district Superintendent of Police, Avinash Kumar Rai, said that several teams have been conducting intensive search operations in north Tripura and adjoining Unakoti districts to nab the remaining three absconding fugitives.

The fleeing undertrial prisoners are Abdul Pata, Rahim Ali, Narayan Chandra Dutta, Rosan Ali, and Nazim Uddin, while Sunil Debbarma, accused of serious crimes, including murder, has been serving life imprisonment.

Narayan Chandra Dutta is a Bangladeshi national, who was earlier arrested in Tripura under the Passport and other Acts, while Abdul Pata is a resident of Nilambazar in Assam's Sribhumi district.

Abdul Pata was earlier arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, for his involvement in illegal drug-related cases.

A Jail Department official said that the Inspector General of Prisons has suspended Jailor Dhananjoy Bhattacharya, and Pallab Kanti Bhowmik, Prashikhan Jamatia, Mohammad Gedu Mia and Notan Lodh, all warders, in connection with the jailbreak of six inmates from the Dharmanagar Sub-Jail on October 1 morning.

The disciplinary proceedings would be taken against all five jail staff, the official said.

Officials said that immediately after the jailbreak, a massive search operation was launched by various teams of security forces, and the hunt for them is still on.

North Tripura District Superintendent of Police also led one of the search teams.

All police stations and security posts in north Tripura and adjoining Unakoti districts were alerted.

"We have also requested the Border Security Force (BSF) to maintain a strict vigil along the India-Bangladesh border so that the fleeing jail inmates cannot cross the border," the official added.

North Tripura district shares inter-state borders with Assam and Mizoram, besides an International Border with Bangladesh.

The official said, "All the exit points along Assam, Mizoram and Bangladesh have been sealed following the incident to prevent the fleeing jail inmates from leaving the state."

--IANS

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