Police on Tuesday arrested five members of the escort team and booked them in a case in connection with Monday's dramatic escape of 14 undertrial prisoners from a prison van transporting inmates from Kahuta Tehsil Courts to Central Jail Adiala. A criminal case was also registered against the escapees, with broadening inquiries into whether the breakout resulted from gross negligence or collusion. The Punjab police chief further removed SP Headquarters Rawalpindi Mudassar Iqbal from his post and suspended DSP Headquarters Imtiaz Ahmed from service till further orders.
Incident Details
The incident occurred near Chakian Stop within the jurisdiction of Islamabad's Sahala Police Station. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the escort party, comprising officials from Rawalpindi Police, had transported 36 undertrial prisoners to Kahuta tehsil courts for hearings and was returning them to Adiala Jail on prison van (GBG 986) when at around 4:45pm several inmates allegedly began shouting and fighting inside the prison van.
The FIR states that after repeated warnings failed to restore order, Sub-Inspector Imtiaz Ahmed and Head Constable Tahir Mahmood unlocked the prisoners' compartment and entered to intervene. At that point, several inmates allegedly threw ground red chilli powder into the officers' eyes before forcing their way out of the vehicle and fleeing in all directions. Although police personnel immediately locked the van and pursued the escapees, 14 prisoners managed to flee before reinforcements arrived.
Recaptures and Search Operations
Four of the escapees were later recaptured, while the remaining 10 continue to evade arrest. Police said the four recaptured prisoners - Saim Ishtiaq, Atif, Zakria Akhlaq and Waleed Arif - had been handed over to Sahala Police, while the remaining 22 prisoners who did not escape were safely returned to Adiala Jail. Search operations continued across Rawalpindi and Islamabad to trace the remaining 10 fugitives.
Legal Actions and Charges
The FIR, lodged by Reserve Officer and escort commander SI Niaz Ali, names all 14 escapees as well as five members of the escort team, including SI Imtiaz Ahmed, accusing them of criminal conspiracy, negligence in the discharge of official duties, obstructing public servants and other relevant offences. The accused, Asim and others, acting in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy and with a common intention, resisted the police party, obstructed the discharge of official duties, and effected their escape from lawful custody, thereby committing the offences alleged against them. Accordingly, they have been charged under Sections 223, 120-B, 34, 186, 353, and 224 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
SI Imtiaz Ahmad, Head Constable Tahir Mahmood, Head Constable/Driver Muharram Shehzar, Constable Shafqat Ahmad, and Constable Nazir Ahmad have been nominated as accused in the case under Section 223 of the PPC, together with Articles 155-C and 155-D of the Police Order.
Investigations and Suspects
Investigators said the 10 absconding undertrial prisoners include suspects facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery and narcotics offences. Among those still at large are Waheed alias Waheedi, Adil Abbas and Danish Sher, all of whom are wanted in serious criminal cases. Senior police officials said preliminary findings suggest the escape might have been pre-planned rather than spontaneous. Investigators are examining whether the altercation inside the prison van was deliberately staged to distract the escort team before the chilli powder attack was launched. Another key line of inquiry focuses on whether any member of the escort party deliberately facilitated the escape or whether serious procedural lapses enabled the prisoners to overpower the police personnel.
Police teams from Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued joint search operations, conducting raids at the homes of the absconding suspects and other locations where they are believed to be hiding.
