October 26, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 8, 1422

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GUJRAT, Oct 25: In the wake Wednesday's jailbreak, 13 employees of the Mandi Bahauddin District Jail, including a deputy and two assitant suprintendents, were suspended on Thursday.

The prisoners, involved in several cases of murder, kidnapping, dacoity and highway robbery, had escaped from the jail on Wednesday evening after taking ajail official hostage. Three of the abscoing-- Ausaf, Ghulam Azad and Jehangir-- were re-arrested, while Arshad, Ejaz, Qamar, Shabbir, Nazir, Nasir Iqbal, Arshad and Nasir Mehmood are still at large.

Constable Ejaz Ahmad of the City police was also shot at and injured by the absconders during a shootout.

Punjab DIG (prisons) Abdus Sattar Aziz under the directives of the Punjab IG (prisons) on Thursday paid a visit to the district jail to ascertain how the deadly weapons like grenades and mausers were supplied to the accused inside the jail.

The initial inquiry reveals that absconders were carrying two pistols and three grenades at the time of the incident.

Higher authorities have ordered a probe into the matter and deputed Rawalpindi jail superintendent as inquiry officer.

Those suspended from service include, deputy superintendent Pervez Iqbal; two assistants Abdul Waheed Khan and Iqbal Imtiaz; headconstables (chief chakars) Asif, M Aslam; head wardens Khalid Pervez, M Anwar and Ahmad Baksh; darban Ansar; munshi Akram; guards Walayat Shah and Ejaz Ahmad.

Police sources told Dawn that Mandi Bahauddin City police had registered a case against the absconders. The police have started interrogating the three re-arrested prisoners to unveil the jailbreak conspiracy.

Meanwhile, the Mandi Bahauddin SSP told this correspondent by telephone that police had arrested five suspects who were being interrogated.