HYDERABAD, May 3 An under-trial prisoner Sohbat Areesar, facing charges of murder and possession of illegal arms, escaped from the Hyderabad central jail on Monday.

He escaped from the area of tower-I that faces main road which is part of the National Highway, some of the prisoners confided to Dawn.

However, no jail administration official was available to confirm or deny the incident. The UTP was kept in circle-I of the prison.

A rope was also found there, which gave an impression that the UTP had scaled the wall of the jail by using this rope. However, so far no FIR is lodged regarding the incident.

Until recently the prisoners were not allowing authorities to give their counts. But for the last few days, following negotiations that were successful to some extent, the prison administration was having total count of the inmates.

One prisoner, who was brought to sessions court in the morning, said that when their count was held no such thing was pointed out that one inmate had escaped.

Keys were accordingly handed over as per standard operating procedure (SOPs). However, said the prisoner, it was claimed by the jail administration in the morning that Areesar had escaped.

“We believe that jail administration is staging a drama in this regard and no such incident has at all taken place”, he said. He said that power supply is suspended in the night which even, otherwise, is not allowed as it could lead to any mishap. He added that Areesar had escaped in connivance with the jail officials.

Neither DIG Prisons Dr. Ashiq Memon nor Superintendent Zulfiqar Langa was available to confirm or deny the incident. Telephone operator of the jail said that the prison chief was visiting the barracks.