Fourteen undertrial prisoners escaped from a prison van on Monday after overpowering police officers by throwing chilli powder into their eyes while being transported back to Adiala Jail from a court hearing, police said.
The prisoners had earlier been taken from Adiala Jail to a subordinate court in Kahuta for scheduled hearings. The police said the escape occurred within the limits of Islamabad as the inmates were being transported back to the jail after the court proceedings.
They said the prison van was carrying 36 undertrial prisoners. During the journey, several inmates created a disturbance inside the vehicle before attacking the escorting officers with chilli powder, enabling 14 prisoners to flee.
Officials said the escapees were facing trial in several serious criminal cases. A large-scale search operation was launched immediately after the incident. Authorities recovered four of the escaped prisoners, while efforts were continuing to trace the remaining 10 fugitives. The police sealed off the surrounding areas, established checkpoints, and circulated the identities of the absconders to law enforcement agencies as part of the manhunt.