Seventeen prisoners, both convicts and undertrials, were unlawfully freed from Mizoram’s Lunglei district jail through forged court papers and fake release orders, as per police reports. The majority of the released individuals have been located and apprehended. The Mizoram Police disclosed that these prisoners, involved in cases under various acts including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, were let go between January 30 and March 18 this year based on falsified documents.
The police termed this incident a significant scam where counterfeit court orders were used to secure the inmates’ release. The matter surfaced after the Lunglei Police Station received a report from the District and Sessions Judge of Lunglei Judicial District on April 27. The judge noticed irregularities in documents presented by two undertrial prisoners during court proceedings on April 24, leading to the discovery of the fraudulent releases. A detailed investigation uncovered that a total of 17 prisoners had been released using fabricated judicial documents.
Authorities swiftly launched an operation to track down the 15 prisoners initially identified as having been released through deceptive means. Out of these, 11 have been recaptured and returned to Lunglei District Jail. Two main suspects allegedly involved in orchestrating this deceitful scheme have been arrested and placed in judicial custody. Investigations revealed that the accused collected money from inmates, promising legal assistance and release from jail.
Police seized computers and printers suspected to have been used in creating the forged documents from a photocopying shop and the jail office. These items have been sent for forensic examination. The investigation is ongoing, with the possibility of further arrests or revelations in the future.
