Escaped Mokokchung jail inmates recaptured within 48 hours

Villagers, police team up to nab fugitives near Milak River

MOKOKCHUNG — The three undertrial prisoners who escaped on Thursday from Mokokchung District Jail were recaptured less than 48 hours after their daring breakout, police confirmed on Friday.

According to Y Tumchobemo Yanthan, Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl. SP) and Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Mokokchung Police, the trio was found hiding in a paddy field near Milak River under Chungtia village jurisdiction.

Chungtia Village Council chairman, Assamwati, identified the area as the Metongmen paddy field, within the village’s jurisdiction.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Mokokchung, Tizhi Pojar, who oversaw the operation, confirmed that “all three individuals were arrested around 4.30 pm.”

Also read: Dawn jailbreak in Mokokchung: 3 undertrials on the run

“They are in custody and accounted for, though yet to be transported to the police station amid ongoing procedural safeguards,” Pojar said when contacted.

By 7 pm, the fugitives were escorted back to Mokokchung, where formalities were completed before a mandatory medical check-up.

The escape, which occurred around 3.36 am on October 30, involved three men: Sukam Ali (20), Roshida Ali (26), and Habibullah Islam (21)—all facing murder charges under Sections 140(3) and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) linked to a homicide case in Ralan, Wokha district.

Transferred from Wokha Jail two months ago due to structural issues there, the trio reportedly exploited weaknesses in the Mokokchung facility’s deteriorating structure. They are believed to have dug through a toilet wall using spoon handles and later scaled the 20-foot perimeter fence using improvised ropes made of knotted bedsheets and clothing.

An FIR was immediately registered at Police Station-I, Mokokchung, and alerts were sent to nearby districts and border checkpoints. To encourage public cooperation, authorities announced a reward of INR 50,000 for any information leading to their arrest.

“We intensified patrols along key roads and forested areas, mobilising every available resource,” Pojar said. Volunteers from Khensa, Aliba, Chungtia and surrounding villages joined the effort, turning it into a large-scale community-backed manhunt.

A breakthrough came after a fisherman from Khensa village reported sighting three unfamiliar individuals near the Milak River at around 3 pm on October 30. Unaware of the jailbreak at the time, he informed the police the following morning, sparking a full-scale operation involving all available manpower from Mokokchung Police.

Chungtia village played a crucial role in the final arrest. According to Assamwati, at the behest of the superintendent of police, the council activated its Mitkar Yanga (traditional security peer group) early that morning.

“An elderly farmer then alerted us at around 2.30 pm of suspicious figures,” he said. “Our Mitkar Yanga launched an area domination sweep, pinpointed their location, and cordoned off the site and apprehended the escaped prisoners, later handing them over to the police.”

Following the operation, SDPO Pojar expressed gratitude to the local communities for their support. “We are profoundly grateful to the villages—Khensa, Aliba, Chungtia, and others—for their cooperation. Their volunteers turned the tide in this massive operation,” he said.