KARACHI, May 15: Two undertrial prisoners (UTPs), one allegedly belonging to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, fled on Sunday morning from the jail ward in the Civil Hospital Karachi with the assistance of their accomplices.

Police said that the incident occurred at around 7am when two men entered the ward posing as having brought breakfast for the inmates identified as Alauddin and Kashif who were under treatment in the hospital.

They came when four of the five policemen posted there on duty said to have gone to have a breakfast, said SP of City Town Saqib Sultan.

The men overpowered the lone police constable, roughed him up and escaped with the two inmates, he added.

The police said that Alauddin was a TTP activist and Kashif had been arrested in a kidnapping for ransom case.

The two suspects were under treatment in the hospital jail ward for over a month.

Special Investigation Unit SSP Raja Umar Khattab told Dawn that Alauddin was arrested on June 4 last year following a botched bank hold-up in Orangi Town.

Another suspect, Ali Abdullah alias Doctor, had been killed in the ensuing shoot-out while three men were arrested at the scene, including Alauddin, SSP Khattab said.

Alauddin was also involved in attacks on Nato oil tankers and in raising funds for his organisation by carrying out bank robberies, he said.

“When he was under treatment in the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for his injuries we kept him under strict security, but later he was given in jail custody,” he said.

The other UTP, Kashif, was arrested within the remit of the Azizabad police station in a kidnapping for ransom case, the police official said.

Although the undertrials didn’t share the same background, they seemed to have ganged together during their detention, the police official said.

The policemen who were supposed to be on duty — Sub-Inspector Abdul Hamid, constable Fahim, constable Qazi Kamran, constable Ahmed Moin — have been arrested and booked in an FIR (147/2011) registered under Sections 222 (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend person under sentence or lawfully committed), 225-A (omission to apprehend, or sufferance of escape, on part of public servant, in cases not otherwise provided for), 225-B (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension, or escape or rescue in cases not otherwise provided for), 392 (punishment for robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 337-A (punishment of shajjah) at the Eidgah police station on behalf of the state.

In an earlier incident, on June 21, 2010, four suspected members of militant outfit Jundullah fled the city courts in a more violent manner during which one of the suspects was killed when a hand grenade he was carrying went off. The Jundullah suspects are still at large.