Andhra Pradesh: Two inmates escape from Chodavaram sub-jail after hitting jail warden with hammer

Two undertrials escaped from Chodavaram sub-jail in Anakapalli after attacking the head warden with a hammer. The dramatic escape, caught on CCTV, involved stealing keys and locking guards. Police have launched a manhunt to trace the fugitives, Ramu and Kumar

Chodavaram (Andhra Pradesh): Two undertrials have escaped from a prison here in Anakapalli district after attacking the jail head warden, an official said on Saturday.

“Two remand prisoners, Ramu (27) and Kumar (30), escaped from Chodavaram sub-jail around 4 pm on Friday after hitting the head warden with a hammer,” Anakapalli Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said.

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Kumar, a panchayat secretary, who was on remand since April, hit the head warden with a hammer while returning the jail’s kitchen keys after completing his cooking duties, he said.

During the ensuing melee between head warden V Veera Raju (45) and Kumar, Ramu rushed towards another room where guards were sleeping to lock it from outside to prevent them from helping the injured and bleeding warden, said Sinha.

Later, the duo managed to steal the main door’s keys from the warden to flee, all of which occurred in two to three minutes and was captured on CCTV, said the SP.

Following this jail break, Sinha said, a case of attempt to murder and escape from lawful custody was booked against Ramu and Kumar.

According to Sinha, Ramu is a property offender who has six cases against him, both in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam city. He was arrested and remanded by the Anakapalli district police.

Kumar, the main attacker and a government employee, was involved in criminal misappropriation of a pension fund and was arrested in Ananthagiri police station limits of Alluri Sitaramaraju (ASR) district, he said.

“He (Kumar) was remanded by the ASR district police. He has been in jail since April. It has already been five months for him. Yesterday, this panchayat secretary was involved in cooking in the sub-jail,” said Sinha.

Further, Sinha observed that Chodavaram Sub-Jail is a small prison which can accommodate only 16 inmates and there were 10 yesterday.

Meanwhile, several police teams are on the hunt to capture Ramu and Kumar, while Sinha expressed confidence that they will be nabbed soon.