Agartala: Tripura Police on Wednesday arrested two jail staff for their alleged involvement in the escape of a murder convict from the Central Correctional Home complex located at Bishalgarh, under Sepahijala district. The prisoner, Swarna Kumar Tripura, was convicted under the Indian Penal Code section 302 for murder.
Speaking on the issue, Officer-in-Charge Bishalgarh police station Rana Chatterjee said, “We received a complaint on Tuesday against two officials associated with Central Correctional Home after the prisoner escaped from the central correctional home. Based on the FIR, we have arrested two persons: warden Mahammad Mofiz Miah and Sentry Tapan Rupini. According to the FIR, they had been sighted in CCTV footage while extending logistic support to the escapee prisoner.”
According to the FIR copy, the person who jumped the jail was identified as Swarna Kumar Tripura and he was convicted under Indian Penal Code sections 302, 201, 120 (B), and 34.
“I would like to inform you that the one life-convicted prisoner namely Swarna Kr. Tripura (Convict No. 138 of 2024), S/O Birendra Tripura of Vill -Chota sakbari, P.S Manubazar, Dist – South Tripura in c/w Case No. ST.34(ST/S)2014, U/S-302/201/120(B)/34 of IPC has been found escape from his respective Block on 14.05.2024 at about 8 AM which is reported by the duty gatekeeper namely Jiban Jamatia, Warder,” jail superintendent Rakesh Chakraborty wrote in his FIR.
The FIR copy also mentioned the names of jail officials who were found to be present at the time of his escape without any authorization from the higher officials.
“In this regard, it is mentionable here that as per CCTV footage of the concerned place of occurrence, Shri Tapan Rupini has been found unauthorizedly present in the said ward and also helped to open the concerned lockup at about 8 PM on 13/05/2024 night wherein Swarna Kr. Tripura was lodged. It is also found that during their escape from his block at about 12.45 AM on 14/05/2024 (as per CCTV footage), he was carrying a bag which might have some jail-breaking tools and may have facilitated his escape and it may have had the plan to facilitate the escape of other prisoners. Hence, according to preliminary assessment the role of Tapan Rupini, Warder and Md. Mafiz Mia, Guard Commander of Kendriya Sansodhanagar, Tripura found to be suspicious. They are involved in harbouring the escape of said convicted prisoner from secured jail custody,” the FIR copy further added.
Sources said that the convict was earlier associated with the militant organisation NLFT. However, senior officials in the police department refuted his links with any outlawed outfit.
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“He hails from Manu Baazar, located under South Tripura district. After committing the murder, he absconded the scene and for a long time the police couldn’t trace his whereabouts. Later, the police came to know that he crossed the Bangladesh borders and taken shelter in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) which is also the present hideout of the Nationalist Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). Then, he came in contact with some of the NLFT cadres but he was never associated with any armed struggle in his life,” the senior police official explained.
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