Karachi was rattled by a series of seismic tremors on Monday night, leading to a catastrophic jailbreak at Malir jail where one inmate was killed and a staggering 216 prisoners managed to flee amidst the ensuing pandemonium during a precautionary evacuation. The incident, termed the “most serious jailbreak” in recent memory by Sindh’s Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, also left three paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel and one jail staff injured.
According to Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah, over 600 inmates were being moved out of their barracks as tremors struck the region. It was during this chaotic transfer that 216 prisoners exploited the situation and made their escape. While over 80 prisoners have since been recaptured, a significant number – more than 135 – remain at large, prompting a massive joint operation by law enforcement authorities to track them down.
Minister Lanjar confirmed that all escaped inmates have been identified, and targeted raids are actively being carried out at their known residences and surrounding areas. He also assured that an inquiry committee would be constituted to thoroughly investigate the circumstances leading to this unprecedented security breach. At the time of the incident, Malir Jail, a sprawling facility, housed over 6,000 inmates, with a substantial number involved in drug-related offences.
The string of seismic activities began on Sunday, with Karachi experiencing 16 mild earthquakes in the past 24 hours, as reported by the Seismic Monitoring Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The continuous tremors undoubtedly contributed to the panic and disarray that facilitated the mass escape from the correctional facility.
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