Haridwar: 2 Criminals Playing ‘Vaanar’ Escape Jail During ‘Ramleela’ As They Pretend To ‘Search For Sita’

Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Doval and District Magistrate Kamendra Singh visited the jail for an inspection on Saturday.

Representational Image | Two criminals, including a murderer, escaped Haridwar Jail using a ladder during a Ramleela performance.

Source : Pixabay

Two notorious criminals, including a convicted murderer, escaped from Haridwar district jail, officials reported on Saturday. The escape occurred on Friday night during a 'Ramleela' performance inside the jail.

According to a report by PTI, officials also revealed that the prisoners, Pankaj and Rajkumar, fled the facility using a ladder intended for construction work. A search operation is underway to capture them.

Pankaj, from Roorkee, was serving a life sentence for murder, while Rajkumar, an undertrial prisoner from Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, was awaiting trial.

Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Doval and District Magistrate Kamendra Singh paid their visit to the jail for an inspection on Saturday. A forensic team and dog squad were also deployed to gather evidence.

As per the report in Times of India, these two inmates were playing the role of ‘vaanar’ (monkey) and went to search for Goddess Sita.

FIR Registered

“We got the information through the control room this morning that two prisoners - one convicted and another one under trial escaped from the prison. Jail administration was checking it initially. When the district administration received the information - we started combing and checking at every place,” Pramendra Singh Dobal, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Haridwar, told ANI.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand | Two prisoners escaped from Haridwar jail during Ramleela, yesterday.

SSP Haridwar, Pramendra Singh Dobal says, "We got the information through the control room this morning that two prisoners - one convicted and another one under trial escaped from the… pic.twitter.com/xE914T47rw

— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2024

“A case has been registered under relevant sections. Soon, they will be arrested and legal action will be taken. Prisoner Pankaj was convicted u/s 302 of IPC and, prisoner Ram Kumar was under trial over the charge of kidnapping,” the official added.

Accusing the jail administration of ignorance, Haridwar district magistrate, Karmendra Singh, said, "Construction work is going on in the jail, also, Ramleela was being organised here, yesterday; taking benefit from this, both the prisoners escaped from the jail using a ladder. Certainly, it's an ignorance of jail administration. FIR has been registered, investigation is on. Departmentmental inquiry and magisterial investigation will be done."

#WATCH | Haridwar, Uttarakhand | District Magistrate Karmendra Singh says, "...Construction work is going on in the jail, also, Ramleela was being organised here, yesterday; taking benefit from this, both the prisoners escaped from the jail using a ladder. Certainly, it's an… pic.twitter.com/FNFQpugCYF

— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2024

Congress Lashes Out At Uttarakhand Govt

Reacting to the incident, Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat stated that current CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has committed a grave mistake in connection with the escape of prisoners from a jail in Haridwar. 

VIDEO | Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat said that a big sin has been committed by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami in the case of escape of prisoners from jail in Haridwar.

"What is happening in our state? This is a big blot on our administrative system. This… pic.twitter.com/K5eiAofau4

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 12, 2024

"What is happening in our state? This is a big blot on our administrative system. This is a serious matter. During Covid-19 also, it was a mistake to give parole to many prisoners for isolation. Other places could have been set up as isolation centers. This was a serious lapse of the police system. A huge sin has been committed by the CM. He should redeem it," he said, news agency PTI reported.