PRISON BREAK IN PAKISTAN-OCCUPIED KASHMIR: 18 PRISONERS OVERPOWER GUARD WITH PISTOL, FLEE

Eighteen inmates, including some on death row, have escaped from a prison in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after overpowering a guard with a pistol, officials said on Monday.

Local police chief Riaz Mughal said one of the prisoners was shot and killed in the breakout from Rawalakot prison the previous day.

A massive search has been launched to trace and arrest all those inmates who fled the prison, Mughal said, and authorities opened an investigation into what led up to the prison break.

The prison’s chief and some other officers have already been dismissed from their post while some officials had been arrested for questioning, he said.

Mughal said six of the prisoners were on death row, while another three were serving life sentences. Such jailbreaks are rare in Pakistan, he said.

Officials say one of the inmates had a pistol that was used to overpower a guard and snatch the keys to the prison cells.

(with inputs from Associated Press)

2024-07-01T10:53:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd