Drug peddler on bail detained for masterminding MP jailbreak

A man accused of peddling drugs, who got bail a fortnight ago, was Monday picked up for allegedly being the mastermind of a jailbreak in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district in which four prisoners managed to flee, police said.

Four prisoners - Nar Singh (20), Pankaj Mongia (21), Lekh Ram (29) and Dubey Lal (19) on Sunday cut the iron rod of their barrack at the sub-jail in Kanavati here and escaped after throwing a rope across a 22-foot high boundary wall, officials said.

"We have detained Vinod Dangi (27), a local drug peddler after getting clues that he masterminded the jail break," Superintendent of Police Rakesh Sagar told PTI, adding that Dangi was imprisoned in Kanavati sub-jail for over three months on the charge of poppy husk peddling, and had got bail on June 11.

He said visitors' records showed that Dangi was coming to the sub-jail over the past couple of days.

The SP said cutters used in the jailbreak have been recovered and six jail staffers had been suspended.

Jailer RP Vasunai, his deputy R Chouhan, head warder Balmukand Lawana and warders Brijendra Dhakad, Ishwarchand and Pankit Sharma have been suspended.

The SP said 10 police teams had fanned out to nab the escaped prisoners.

State Director General (Prisons) Sanjay Choudhary declared a reward of Rs 50,000 on each of the four.

Among those who escaped Sunday, Singh and Mongia, hailing from Udaipur and Chittor in Rajashtan, were earlier convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Ram, a native of neighbouring Mandsaur district in MP, was being tried in a case of loot and murder, while Lal, a resident of the state's Mandla district, was facing trial in a rape case.