The prisoners broke the bars of their cells and escaped when it was raining heavily and there was no power in the district headquarters town last night, Superintendent of Police Vikramjit Singh said today.
Jail guards came to know about the incident only in the morning and a massive search operation was launched by the police and Assam Rifles to nab them, Singh said.
"But so far no clue about their whereabouts has been found," he added.
The SP said that there was no power supply in the district headquarters for the past three days.
He said that departmental action would be taken if proof of dereliction of duty was established.
This is the third incident of jailbreak in the state in recent times after 18 undertrial prisoners, all Chakma refugees, escaped from a police lockup at the Chowkham police outpost in Lohit district on July 19.
In February, 15 prisoners involved in raping a minor girl near Bareng river in Chowkham escaped from jail after scaling the wall. They were arrested in April.
Last year, four prisoners of the Central Jail at Jollang, near here escaped after breaking the roof of their cell.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
