GUJRAT, Oct 17: A provincial jail department’s fact-finding team, expected to visit the Gujrat district jail on Friday to inquire into a case of jailbreak attempt by some under-trial accused, postponed its plan for unknown reasons.

Information gleaned by this correspondent revealed that the recently appointed superintendent, Amanullah, had informed the home department and the IGP (prisons) that a tunnel had been dug in the bath of the barrack No 4 by some hardened criminals to escape.

As many as 13 prisoners, including the 11 murderers of former provincial law minister Chaudhry Farooq, had been detained in that barrack.

The superintendent informed the higher-ups that the jailbreak attempt was foiled when he saw some excessive mud in the lawn outside the barrack, and checked the bath in which the inmates had been digging a tunnel for the last few days.

All the MPA’s murderers, including Raja Masood Sarwar and Tasawur alias Asif Butt and two others (who are also involved in other murder cases), might have masterminded the plan, he reported. He added that the captives had been shifted to another barrack.

Sources divulged that four of the MPA’s killers, including Tasawur, had confessed to making a plot to escape from the jail. The remaining had claimed that they were not involved in the conspiracy, and were even unaware about the digging of the tunnel. The jail authorities have not got a case registered so far with the area police station against these captives.

Mr Amanullah told Dawn on telephone that the ex-MPA’s four murderers, including Tasawur and Rafaqat, were involved in the plot.

He confirmed that an inquiry team of the provincial department was supposed to visit the jail, but it delayed the visit.

He said a case would be lodged with the police station after the inquiry team’s recommendations.