SARGODHA, May 20: As the district jail higher-ups are probing the jailbreak attempt incident and some 24 officials have already been suspended, there is hardly any doubt about the fact that several jail officials are involved in alleged malpractice that led to the recent mishap.

According to Muhammad Naveed, who was recently released from the jail after his term was over, some ‘influential’ captives are being provided facilities like having contacts with their close circles outside the jail. They are also allowed to roam about freely in the jail irrespective of the offences they have committed, he said.

Now a case of a jailbreak bid had been given a twist by lodging a case against nine people, including three women, with the Cantt police station, he said.

An insider told Dawn on Friday that the jail authorities on Wednesday night called the Rescue 15 and the Elite Force, informing them about a jailbreak. It is learnt that condemned prisoners — Zafar Hayat and Muhammad Azam Kurar — held all the jail officials hostage, and this news created panic in the jail.

However, he said, the law enforcers overpowered the culprits and during a clash some of them were injured. Taking a serious note of the incident, the Punjab IGP suspended 22 security guards and two assistant superintendents (jail) from service.

It is pertinent to mention here that DIG (Prisons) Nasir Warriach inspects the jail every week to take stock of the situation and he was there on the day of the incident.

According to sources, there is no discipline in the jail and the authorities deal those who enter it without having any money harshly. “Those who possess money are, however, spared every time.”

The jail authorities, they said, were also concealing a fact about use of mobile phone by Azam.

Some of the jail inmates have demanded that the government should order a high-level judicial inquiry and transfer the officials to make the real picture clear.

A man, who claimed himself to be a witness against Azam Kurar, told this correspondent that he was receiving threats from the group that if he appeared against them he would have to pay through the nose. He said the jail employees were hand in gloves with Azam and his group. He said he was ready to swear upon an oath that Azam Kurar was being facilitated by the jail officials.

The Cantonment police SHO was not available to inform this correspondent about the progress of investigation into the complaint lodged by the superintendent jail.

However, a policeman said on the request of anonymity that it would in all probability be a one-sided inquiry, as no-body would dare join investigation.

He said the Azam gang comprised 64 people and only few of them had been arrested so far. He said the gang had an organized network across the Punjab and the police were making efforts to trace rest of the culprits.

Meanwhile, the jail superintendent said in a statement that on Wednesday, Imdad Ali and Muzaffar Ali informed their superiors that an under-trial prisoner had some prohibited material.

Subsequently, he said, the guards checked out his cell under the supervision of two assistant superintendents — Imran Khan and Abdullah Niazi. However, as head warder Talib Husain opened the door of Azam’s cell for a search, the inmate opened fire on the staff but the official jerked his hand and was saved along with other officials.

He further said Mr Husain overpowered Azam and during a scuffle a fire went off and Azam was injured. He said, a mobile phone was recovered from his possession.

He suspected that the set might have been passed on to the inmate through a condemned prisoner, Zafar, who is also locked up in the same cell.