In a major jailbreak in recent years, four inmates escaped from the medium-security Central Prison situated on the Humnabad-Vijayapura national highway in the Sirnoor village limits, about 10 km from here, on Wednesday.
The four undertrials, in a meticulously executed midnight operation, climbed the prison outer wall and lowered themselves down from the roof of the administrative office using bedsheets.
Braving the electric fencing and alarm wires, the prisoners broke a portion of the wall and made a small passage wide enough for a man to pass through.
The fugitives have been identified as Shivakumar, Sunilkumar, Tajuddin and Laxman, all natives of Kalaburagi. One of them is a murder accused and the rest are accused in three separate rape cases. They were lodged in the prison about a year ago.
Inspector General of Police, North East Range, B Shivakumar, after visiting the prison, said there was a clear security lapse on the part of the prison staff.
He said stricter measures could have been followed to keep vigil on prisoners.
An alert has been sounded in the neighbouring districts and also in Solapur district, Maharashtra, he said. The police are confident of apprehending them at the earliest, he said.
The Farahatabad police have registered a case.
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