Karachi: At least 45 to 50 detainees escaped from the Malir prison in Karachi in what seems to be one of the most serious jailbreaks of recent years, according to the Minister of the Interior of the Sindh, Zia-Ul-Hasan Lanjar.
During the earthquakes that rocked Karachi on Monday, the detainees were temporarily far from their barracks for security reasons, said prison officials, adding that it was during this period that the prisoners managed to flee.
Addressing the media, Lanjar confirmed that around 30 to 35 of the escaped prisoners had already been rearranged during a current research operation. However, the prison administration said that more than 50 prisoners out of at least 100 escapees had been arrested.
He said chief minister Murad Ali Shah had been fully informed of the situation, adding that the CM had ordered him to personally visit the prison to supervise the situation.
The incident is of a serious nature and may have involved negligence on the share of prison personnel, said the Minister of the Interior. He added that the first reports suggested that a prison wall had collapsed, but later the updates said that the prisoners fled the main door rather than crossing a structure.
The Inspector General of Prisons, Qazi Nazir, reached the Malir prison. The Sindh Minister of Prisons also arrived on the scene and was in direct contact with prison officials.
Earlier, a large contingent of frontier body staff (FC) rushed to the site.
A joint research operation involving the Special Security Unit (SSU), the quick response force (RRF) was launched to find the remaining escapees. After the operation was completed, the police contingents, the Rangers and the FC took control of the prison.
Later, the Minister of the Interior, the prisons and the prisons of Dig, visited and inspected the prison of Malir.
LANJAR said that all the necessary intelligence and security resources are deployed, including checkpoints and surveillance measures, to recupe prisoners.
Rescue officials said three FC staff and a prison guard had been injured during the incident. An inmate would have been killed during the chaos that followed.
The Minister of Sindh of Prisons said that disciplinary measures will be taken against any official has been overlooked. He also pointed out that the search for the remaining fugitives will continue until everyone is apprehended.