Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur
Jaipur, Sep 21: A dramatic jailbreak at Jaipur Central Jail has exposed glaring security failures, resulting in the suspension of 11 officials, including the deputy jailer. In the early hours of Saturday, two inmates—Naval Kishore Mahawar and Anas Kumar—managed to escape after cutting through iron bars and wandering the prison premises undetected for over an hour and a half, as multiple guards reportedly slept on duty.
Their initial attempt to flee by scaling the women’s jail wall with a blanket failed when it tore. Undeterred, the duo found an 18-foot plastic pipe in the jail’s garden area, which they used to scale the 26-foot-high boundary wall near the visiting room at around 3:30 a.m. Both sustained injuries during the escape, with Anas suffering a head wound after falling from the wall.
Anas was later apprehended by Lalkothi police at his residence near Malpura Gate by 4 p.m. the same day, but Naval Kishore remains at large, prompting an ongoing manhunt.
The breach has triggered swift disciplinary action. Deputy Jailer Ramcharan Meena, seven jail guards—including two women—and three Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) personnel have been suspended pending departmental inquiries. Among those suspended are Chief Constable Rekha Lakhera and Constables Anita Jajoria, Manoj Kumar Meena, Dharamveer Gurjar, Ratan Singh Rathore, Manoj Verma, and Maya Jat, along with RAC personnel Subhash, Ashok Kumar, and Tarachand.
Jaipur Central Jail, which houses over 2,100 inmates across 14 wards, typically assigns one guard per ward, with two stationed in Ward 10, which holds high-risk inmates. Despite 15 to 18 staff members being on duty Friday night, none detected the breakout. CCTV footage later confirmed that several guards were asleep during the incident.
The prisoners reportedly bent the cut iron rods to slip out of their barrack around 2 a.m. and searched the premises for escape routes before making their final climb over the wall. The incident has sparked serious concerns over prison security and operational lapses, as authorities continue to track the remaining fugitive.