Three under-trial inmates of correctional home flee

Three under trial inmates fled from Cooch Behar district correctional home on Sunday afternoon. The correctional home authority suspected that the inmates fled through a drainage canal adjacent to the wall of the correctional home.

Police said, Abdul Rashid, Abdul Hamid and Asharful, the inmates were Bangladeshi nationals. They were arrested in 2015 on the charge of illegally crossing the India-Bangladesh border. "They broke the fence in front of the drainage canal and entered inside it. They escaped via that route," the officer added.

Police learnt that the inmates were living in the correctional home for almost two years but they escaped before the conclusion of their punishment period.

It may be recalled that an inmate, accused of rape, had escaped from a prison van in Murshidabad a few months ago. He had suddenly jumped from the van before going at large.

In that incident, accused Sukur Ali was booked for allegedly raping a mentally challenged girl. Ali was being taken to the sub-divisional court for his trial when he suddenly pushed a constable and jumped from the car. He started running towards a vacant field and disappeared after a while.

It was also seen that an inmate, who was punished with life imprisonment, committed suicide at Alipore Central Jail last year. Azhar Khan, resident of Akbalpur, stayed at the correction home for years. His body was seen hanging in his cell. The fellow inmates had witnessed the incident and reported it to the jail authority in morning. The jail staffs soon arrived in the spot and police were called up.

The state government, however, has taken several steps to strengthen the security within and outside of the correction home. State correctional services department tightened the security during the transportation of under trials to the court and back.