Dawn jailbreak in Mokokchung: 3 undertrials on the run

Prisoners tunnel through toilet wall, climb 20-foot fence using makeshift ropes; officials cite crumbling structure

MOKOKCHUNG — Three undertrial prisoners (UTPs) escaped from the District Jail Mokokchung in the early hours of Thursday, confirmed L Bumeng Khiam, Superintendent of the jail.

The inmates had been transferred from Wokha District Jail to Mokokchung on August 21 this year after a wall collapse at the Wokha facility.

According to reliable sources, two of the escapees had earlier been arrested in Kerala and the third in Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a murder case in the Ralan area of Wokha district.

An FIR has been lodged at Police Station-I, Mokokchung, as the three UTPs remain at large, Khiam informed.

The escapees have been identified as Sukam Ali (20), son of Ibad Ali, Roshida Ali (26), son of Ibad Ali, both from Kharbari village, Wokha district; and Habibullah Islam (21), son of Mohamed Fakhruddin, from Gorukuti village, Wokha district.

All three were charged under Section 140(3)/103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

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Khiam said that the prisoners had complained of a skin ailment on October 21 and, following a medical check-up, were kept separately in another ward as advised by the doctor.

However, at around 3:36 am on Thursday, they escaped by digging through the dilapidated toilet wall using spoon handles, removing bricks, and using their clothes and bedsheets as makeshift ropes to scale the 20-foot northern wall of the prison.

The jailbreak occurred during the last security shift (2 am to 4 am), when four personnel were on duty to monitor eight inmates.

Khiam disclosed that no personnel were assigned to the CCTV control room during night hours.

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He ruled out external assistance, stating that the inmates had only phone contact with their families and had not received any visitors recently.

While refraining from detailing specific security lapses, the jail superintendent attributed the incident to severely deteriorating infrastructure.

The prison, built in 1972, reportedly suffers from extensive structural decay. “The cement has lost its strength, and the concrete can be easily peeled off by hand,” Khiam said.

District Jail Mokokchung had previously drawn attention following a major wall collapse, with another similar incident occurring on the opposite side of the compound a few years ago.