Five African women lodged in the Government State Home for Women near Nimhans escaped in the early hours on Tuesday by scaling the building’s compound wall.
The East Division police had arrested the women during a special drive against African nationals who stayed in the city after their visas expired and had no valid documents. Three of the women are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and two are Nigerians.
One woman failed in her escape bid as she got injured while jumping down from the compound wall and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Police had launched a crackdown against African nationals after the recent death of a Congolese national in police custody and subsequent violence by African nationals. In all, 13 women from various African countries were lodged in the home.
Police said the women escaped at 2.30 am. When the duty staff asked them why they came out of their rooms, the women said they needed water. The staff gave them water and asked them to return to their rooms, but the women diverted their attention and ran out.
Police also said the women had been plotting the escape for the past two days. At just six feet, the compound wall was easy to scale. But the incident came to light when one of the escapees fell and called her friends for help.
Hearing her call out, the staff rushed out, shifted her to the hospital and reported the incident to the police and their seniors.