KARACHI, Aug 15: A sessions court on Monday indicted four policemen in a case pertaining to the escape of two undertrial prisoners from the Civil Hospital Karachi.

The four policemen — Sub-Inspector Abdul Hameed, constables Mohammad Faheem, Qazi Kamran and Moin Ansari — have been booked for their alleged negligence which resulted in the escape of two UTPs from the CHK’s jail ward in May this year.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (south) Sagheer Ahmed Sheikh, who is conducting the trial inside the Karachi central prison (judicial complex), read out the charges against the accused. They pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The court issued notices to all prosecution witnesses directing them to appear in court to record their statements on the next hearing.

According to the prosecution, the two UTPs, Alauddin, an activist of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Kashif, who had been booked in a kidnapping for ransom case, had fled from the CHK’s jail ward with the help of their accomplices on May 15.

The UTPs were under treatment in the hospital.

The accused policemen, who were deployed at the jail ward, were arrested the same day for showing negligence.

A case (FIR 147/11) was 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) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the policemen at the Eidgah police station.

The hearing was adjourned till Aug 19.