armed men storm
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Armed men storm prison van, free murder suspect on…

ByJustpaste.in

JHELUM: In a major security lapse, armed men intercepted a prison van on the busy GT Road near Mandra and forcibly freed a murder suspect who was being taken back to District Jail Jhelum after appearing in court.

The escape involved Malik Hamad, who is facing a murder case registered with Saddar Beruni police. He had initially been held at Adiala Central Jail before being transferred to Jhelum following the recovery of a mobile phone and other prohibited items during a surprise inspection.

Hamad was brought to Rawalpindi on Tuesday for a court hearing. While the prison van was returning to Jhelum, it slowed near Galaxy Hotel at Bacha Stop, where another vehicle approached the van.

According to sources, the occupants told prison officials that Hamad’s mother was seriously ill and requested a brief meeting with him. Taking advantage of the confusion, several armed men surrounded the van with their vehicles, pulled Hamad out and escaped.

The incident immediately triggered a security alert, with senior police and jail officials rushing to the location. Police teams were subsequently formed to track down and arrest the escaped suspect.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about the security arrangements for transporting prisoners. It comes weeks after 14 high-risk prisoners escaped from another prison van while returning from Kahuta in late June. All of them were later recaptured following an extensive search operation, while cases were registered against the policemen responsible for their security.

Following that escape, Rawalpindi police introduced new standard operating procedures aimed at strengthening prisoner transportation security. The latest incident, however, has renewed questions about whether those measures are being properly implemented.

Four policemen reportedly assigned to guard Hamad have been detained for questioning. Sources also claimed that the suspect had links with an influential individual associated with a private housing society.

Despite the seriousness of the incident, senior police officials declined to comment publicly, while a search operation to recapture Hamad remained underway.

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