Manhunt for gang involved in Lankan undertrials escape

Tiruchirapalli, July 27 (UNI) Police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the gang which freed two Sri Lankan prisoners from police escorting them to the Central Prison here from Pudukottai yesterday evening.

IG Central Zone M S Jaffar Sait informed UNI here this morning that six police teams had been formed to track the gang and some valuable clues obtained.

Inspector Bhaskaran and Sub-Inspector Rajasekharan of the Armed police and constables Paramasivam and Mahamuni, who were escorting the prisoners, have been suspended.

Narrating the sequence of events, Mr Sait said Imtiaz Ahamed and Selvakumar, both Sri Lankan nationals, were produced before the Designated Court (Essential Commodities and Narcotics) in neighbouring Pudukottai in connection with narcotics cases.

The armed gang freed them at Kalamavur when they were being escorted back in a bus to the prison here.

The gang sprayed chilli powder into the constables' eyes and escaped with them in a car.A red alert has been sounded to nab the culprits, he added.

UNI GSM VA DS1142