700 Bangladeshi prisoners still on run after revolution jailbreaks

DHAKA: Around 700 Bangladeshi prison inmates were still on the run after mass jailbreaks over the summer during the student-led revolution that ousted autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, authorities said on Wednesday.

Hasina fled in August to neighbouring India, where she remains, as her government collapsed at the peak of a popular revolt.

In the weeks before her departure, revolts or sieges by protesters at five prisons around the Muslim-majority South Asian nation saw roughly 2,200 inmates break out of their cells.

Prisons chief Syed Mohammad Motaher Hossain told reporters that around 1,500 of that number had since been captured, with the remainder still at large.

Hossain said that at least 70 fugitives were either “terrorists” or death row convicts.

Hundreds of people marched on a jail in the city of Narsingdi east of the capital Dhaka on July 19, setting the facility on fire and setting hundreds of inmates free.

Four more prisons were also attacked in the following weeks including a high security facility at Kashimpur, home to some of the country´s most notorious criminals.

Police spokesman Imam Hossain Sagar said efforts to track the remaining escapees were ongoing.

“We have instructed all the police stations to stay alert and arrest the escaped prisoners,” he said.

Sagar added that police were also closely monitoring several “top terrorists” granted bail by courts following Hasina´s ouster.To address security challenges, he said, the prison authorities have introduced advanced surveillance systems.

High-risk prisoners are housed in specialised cells equipped with mobile phone jammers, and daily searches are conducted to prevent illegal activities. CCTV cameras ensure continuous monitoring.