A juvenile observation home in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, is facing fresh scrutiny after 13 inmates broke out of the facility, triggering panic among staff and officials. This marks the second major escape from the institution within just a month, exposing serious gaps in the security measures the department had claimed to have tightened. Several inmates had also fled the same facility the previous month.
Inmates Bent An Iron Rod To Force Their Way Out
According to available information, the escape took place late in the evening. All 13 inmates reportedly worked out a plan among themselves before bending an iron rod fixed to the rear door of the facility, creating enough space to slip through. Once outside, they scaled the high boundary wall at the back of the building and used the cover of darkness to vanish from the premises within moments.
A Second Lapse In A Month Exposes Hollow Security Claims
The episode has raised pointed questions about the management and security arrangements at the juvenile home. The escape of 13 inmates within a month of a similar incident points to serious negligence on the part of the facility's administration. Only weeks earlier, 11 inmates had broken out in much the same manner, prompting officials to announce that security had been tightened. This latest escape has shown those assurances to be little more than words on paper.
Police Alerted, Search Launched For All 13
As soon as staff at the facility realised late in the evening that the 13 inmates were missing, the premises descended into chaos. Local police were informed without delay, and a case was registered. Officers from the Gandhinagar police station have since gone into high alert mode and launched an active search to track down all 13 escapees.
Facility Has Also Seen A Guard's Murder In The Past
Chhattisgarh's juvenile justice system has faced a far graver incident before this. At the Sarkanda juvenile observation home in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, four juvenile inmates had earlier killed security guard Narendra Kumar Khande in a brutal attack while attempting to escape. The killing had left everyone shaken. According to accounts of the incident, the accused first pushed him to the ground before tying both his hands behind his back with rope so he could not fight back. A piece of cloth was stuffed into his mouth to stop him from calling for help, after which all four inmates strangled him to death.
