In a dramatic development, a mentally-challenged Pakistani prisoner has gone “missing” from Amritsar’s high security jail.
Jail officials said 35-year-old Niyamat Ali’s unexplained absence was first noticed during the noon roll call of prisoners on Monday following which the authorities launched a massive search operation which continued till reports last came in.
Arrested in the Lopoke sector near Amritsar in November, 2009, Ali was charged under provisions of the Foreigners Act and sentenced to three months in prison. He was officially “released” on February 27, 2010 and has since been retained in the jail as an internee awaiting repatriation.
The jail’s deputy superintendent Balbir Singh said, “One of our havildars — Baljinder Singh — had observed Niyamat Ali running away from his aahata (ward) but did nothing to stop him since this particular internee did not belong to his ward.”
Ali hasn’t been found despite scores of jail guards searching for him in every possible nook and cranny of the prison premises for more than 36 hours.
Officials ruled out the possibility of a pre-planned jailbreak by the Pakistani, who was not only mentally-challenged but also up for final release and repatriation in a few months.