KARACHI, Oct 4: Police have mounted a search for a man who was released from prison by mistake on the eve of Eid and a juvenile prisoner who escaped from the penitentiary on Friday.

The Sindh prison chief, IG Yamin Khan, suspended 13 officials and staff of the District Jail Malir and the Juvenile Jail Karachi on charges of corruption, ulterior motives and negligence.

Jamil Ahmed, 22, facing a charge of possessing an illegal pistol, was let out of the District Jail Malir in Landhi in error on Sept 30, when 235 prisoners were released from the penitentiary after being granted a special remission by the president on the occasion of the religious festival.

He was remanded in custody at the prison on March 15, 2008 after he had been booked and arrested by the Kalakot police in two cases of possessing narcotics and an unlicensed pistol.

Later, he was convicted by a special anti-narcotics court, which sentenced him recently to a six-month term and the gun possession case against him was pending disposal in a local court.

A jail official, who did not wish to be named, told Dawn that the convict was released by mistake as the staff overlooked the fact that the man was still being tried in another case.

“There was a lot of pressure on the staff on the eve of Eid as 235 prisoners were released after they benefited from the presidential special remission to their respective terms”, he added.

Sources said a 16-year-old prisoner, Asim alias Sattar, son of Mohammed Ali, also went missing on Friday.

They said the teenager, a Baloch, had been arrested by the Sharea Faisal police for snatching a mobile phone a couple of weeks ago.

The sources said the family visited the juvenile prisoner on Eid and gave him new clothes and sweets.

They said the boy was missing from the juvenile prison when the family again went to visit him on Friday.

Inspector-General of Prisons Mohammed Yamin Khan said that he had placed 13 officials of the District Jail Malilr and the Juvenile Jail Karachi under suspension on charges of corruption, ulterior motives, neglect of duty and letting off a convict.

Those suspended included the District Jail Malir superintendent, Younus Masih, assistant superintendents Mumtaz Shah and Ghazanfar Iqbal, senior clerk Zulfikar Ali Pirzada, junior clerks Pir Masroor Ahmed and Muzammil Ahmed.

The officials of the juvenile jail suspended included jail superintendent, assistant superintendents, Liaquat Ali Pirzada and Saleemuddin, chief warden Zulfikar Ahmed, warders Arshad, Sikandar and Afzal.

The IG said that investigation in both cases had been assigned to the police and cases would be registered against the suspended officials. “We have sent the letters to the SHOs of the Shah Latif Town and New Town police stations for lodging criminal cases against the relevant jail officials,” he added.

He said a departmental inquiry had also been ordered to establish how the mix-up had happened.

Mr Khan said the police were trying to track down the convict and the missing boy.