KOHAT, April 17: Two prisoners who had escaped from the Bannu jail a few days ago were arrested at a border checkpost between Kohat and tribal Kurram Agency on Tuesday, officials said.

They said that the prisoners had spent nights in Karak and Kohat before venturing to enter their native Kurram Agency through Kohat. The two, identified as Sardar Ali and Mushtaq Hussain, were undergoing life imprisonment in murder cases in Bannu jail and had fled when insurgents armed with heavy weapons attacked the jail in the early hours of Sunday last.

The officials said that so far 48 prisoners had been arrested from various places during last three days. They said that the border force at Chapari checkpost got suspicious when they found that the two had no identity cards. They said that afterwards the names of the two were found on the list of prisoners fleeing from the Bannu jail.

When contacted, senior police officials confirmed that the two were among the absconders and they had been taken to unknown location for investigation. The officials said that the list of 394 prisoners had been provided to the police and border security forces.

Meanwhile, the government has banned use of cell phones by staff and prisoners besides taking several other security measures at Kohat jail to avoid Bannu-like lapse.

According to a statement issued here on Tuesday, commissioner Kohat division Sahibzada Mohammad Anees visited the jail and inspected the measures adopted for making it secure from outside militant threat. Deputy inspector general of police, Kohat region, Imtiaz Shah also accompanied him.

The prisoners at the Kohat jail also include some tribesmen involved in heinous crimes and under trial militants, which has prompted the government to increase the jail security. In this backdrop, changes in security arrangements inside and around the jail have been made, the statement said, adding that installation of long circuit cameras and emergency alarm system had been made.

Similarly, the prisoners would now be kept in separate zones according to new categories made by the administration keeping in view their punishments and threat from them.

The measures concerning floodlights, 24-hour patrolling around the jail, giving the jail police modern weapons and enhancing their strength had been completed. The height of the outside boundary wall has also been increased for the protection of jail, said the statement. —Correspondent