Representational image | Photo: PTI
Aizawl, Aug 22: During the just-concluded Monsoon Session of the Mizoram Legislative Assembly, Home Minister K. Sapdanga revealed that between 2022 and 2024, 56 prisoners escaped from various district jails in the state. Of these, 25 have been recaptured, while 31 remain at large.
Sapdanga also highlighted that of the 56 escapees, 33 fled from jail, seven from court, eight from hospitals, seven from police vehicles, and one from a prison ambulance.
According to government data, 17 prisoners escaped in 2022; 11 from Aizawl District Jail, three from Champhai, two from Lunglei, and one from Siaha District.
In 2023, a total of 29 prisoners escaped, including seven from Aizawl District Jail, six from Lunglei, three each from Serchhip and Champhai, five from Siaha, and one each from Kolasib and Lawngtlai.
Additionally, three women escaped from the Women's Jail in Aizawl.
As of August 2024, 10 prisoners have escaped from three district jails, with seven from Aizawl District Jail, two from Serchhip District Jail, and one from Kolasib District Jail.
Efforts to recapture the escapees have seen some success, with eight prisoners from Aizawl, six from Siaha, three from Lunglei, and several others from Champhai, Serchhip, and Kolasib.
However, the fact that 31 escapees remain at large raises concerns about the security of the state’s prisons.
With Mizoram's jails currently housing 1,807 inmates, the Home Minister emphasized the need for upgrades to the Central Jail in Aizawl as well as to seven other district jails.
