14 of 21 inmates traceless after escaping from remand home

Jamshedpur: A massive manhunt is underway in West Singhbhum to locate and apprehend 14 juvenile inmates who remain at large following their dramatic escape from a Chaibasa remand home on Tuesday evening. Initially, only 12 inmates were thought to have escaped but the number rose to 21 after a proper count. A total of 85 juvenile inmates are in the remand home.Of the total 21 who escaped, seven were back in custody on Wednesday. Among the seven, three were sent back to the facility by their parents late on Tuesday and one was apprehended by police from the Badi Bazar market at night. Another three were apprehended in the morning from various locations.SP Ashutosh Shekhar said the escaped inmates, aged between 16 and 20 years, comprised both undertrials and convicts.Law enforcement authorities have activated a widespread alert system, notifying all police stations within the district to trace the remaining 14. Given that four of them hail from neighbouring areas, including Odisha, police in Seraikela-Kharsawan district and two Odisha districts, Keonjhar and Barbil, have been alerted. Authorities are also actively engaging with the parents of the fugitives, seeking their cooperation in sharing any information about their children's whereabouts.West Singhbhum DC Kuldeep Chaudhary announced the formation of a special investigation team to conduct a comprehensive probe into the incident. The investigation will scrutinise the actions and potential negligence of the remand home officials to determine accountability for the incident. Chaudhary informed that the team would comprise SDO (Chaibasa) SDPO (sadar), district social welfare officer and the child protection officer. Besides, the additional secretary and the director of the social welfare department from Ranchi visited the home to review the matter.Stating that the team would submit its report at the earliest, the DC added that there were rumours about a clash between a mentally challenged inmate and five others as a pre-cursor to the escape or an elaborate plan by the inmates."There will be a clarity on all matters after the investigation," he added.Sources said the clash escalated into a larger conflict. During the chaos, the inmates violently assaulted the guards, wielding wooden sticks and hurling a gas-filled LPG cylinder. The inmates then broke the iron grills of their cells before forcing their way into the facility's sitting room, where they caused extensive damage, including the destruction of CCTV equipment and furniture.The inmates then forcibly broke open the main gate to make their escape. Three prison guards sustained minor injuries while attempting to contain the violence.After the incident, the remand home administration has faced criticism over its security measures, ppo launch a thorough review of the existing protocols. SP Shekhar has maintained discretion regarding the specific causes behind the incident, emphasising that the ongoing investigation would reveal the complete sequence of events.