Overview
- Police say the three men cut the grill of a bathroom in Barrack No. 5 and used a ladder left at a new-prison construction site to climb the compound wall during the early hours of Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
- The fugitives have been identified as Mastan, Santosh and Sagar, all from Bidar district, two of whom were serving life terms for separate murders and one serving a 20-year sentence in a POCSO case.
- Investigators have called the SOCO forensic team to examine the scene and formed three special units to run technical analysis, review CCTV and gather field intelligence as they track the escapees.
- Prison officials say electric wiring atop the wall was likely non-functioning and have opened a preliminary inquiry to check for staff lapses with possible disciplinary or legal action if negligence is found.
- Authorities have alerted senior police in the region and deployed multiple teams across districts to find the convicts, and the case will be formally registered once the prison files a complaint.