Raids on across Jharkhand, Bihar for Wasseypur men who escaped from jail

Hazaribag, Jan 2 (PTI) Searches were underway in various parts of Jharkhand and Bihar for the three convicts who escaped from Hazaribag Central jail, officials said on Friday.

The three convicts, who belong to Wasseypur in Dhanbad, escaped from the jail in the early hours of December 31, they said.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (HQ) Amit Kumar Anand, who is heading the SIT investigating the case, said raids are being conducted in Dhanbad, Ranchi and other parts of the state, besides various districts of Bihar.

An enquiry conducted by IG (Prison) Sudarshan Mandal pointed to security lapses on the part of jail guards, which allegedly helped the convicts to escape, officials said.

The guards were either lax in their duty or might have helped the criminals through the window of a bathroom, they said.

The role of the Jharkhand Armed Police personnel, who keep a vigil on the jail premises, is also under scanner, they added.

The criminals, who were convicted in POCSO cases, took advantage of darkness and dense fog to flee, officials said.

Two head wardens, Umesh Singh and Harendra Mahto, were suspended following the incident.

The main culprit, Deva Bhuiyan, had escaped from the Dhanbad Jail in 2021 and remained underground for three and a half years, officials said.

He had been lodged in this jail previously and was aware of the escape routes in Hazaribag, they said.

More than a dozen cases are pending against him in several police stations of Dhanbad, they added. PTI CORR BS SOM