Four high-profile inmates from Jaipur Central Jail skipped a scheduled medical examination at SMS Hospital and spent several hours at hotels in the city on Saturday, allegedly with the help of their police escorts, TOI reported. The prisoners facing serious charges including murder and sexual assault met with relatives and partners during the unauthorised outings, triggering a major controversy and exposing deep-rooted corruption within Rajasthan’s prison system.
The scandal, one of the most serious to hit Rajasthan’s prison system in recent memory, unfolded on Saturday when five undertrial inmates were sent for medical examinations at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital. Only one made it. The other four - Rafiq Bakri, Bhanwar Lal, Ankit Bansal and Karan Gupta - instead checked into hotels across Jaipur, met family and partners and enjoyed a leisurely day out, according to the TOI report.
Shockingly, the entire escapade was allegedly orchestrated with the full knowledge and cooperation of the prison staff. Constables assigned as escorts not only failed to prevent the breach but reportedly facilitated the detour, allegedly in exchange for bribes. Each prisoner is reportedly said to have paid Rs 25,000 via an intermediary to swing the arrangement, with Rs 5,000 allegedly promised to each escorting constable.
One group, led by Rafiq and Bhanwar, was found in a Jalupura hotel, accompanied by Rafiq’s wife and Bhanwar’s former girlfriend. In a further twist, Rafiq’s wife was caught carrying narcotics and now faces charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Elsewhere in the city, Ankit and Karan were spotted enjoying breakfast at a hotel near Jaipur airport. The room had been booked by Ankit’s girlfriend, with handcuffs reportedly stashed out of sight in a backpack under the table. Neither pair returned to custody on time.
By Sunday, police had arrested 13 people, including the four absconding inmates, five police constables and four relatives. A relative was found in one hotel room with Rs 45,000 in cash and multiple inmate IDs, suggesting the elaborate and organised nature of the operation, as per TOI.
DCP (Jaipur East) Tejaswani Gautam confirmed the chain of events to TOI and revealed that investigators had intercepted over 200 calls since April, uncovering a disturbing pattern of phone misuse, bribery and criminal coordination from within the prison walls.
TOI quoted sources as saying that the plot was the brainchild of a convicted extortionist currently lodged in the central jail. Operating through a well-oiled network, he allegedly managed enablers both inside and outside the system - all for the right price. “This system runs on money - doctors, transport staff and senior officials are all complicit,” an inmate reportedly confessed during interrogation.
The Jaipur Central Jail had already been under scrutiny following recent incidents involving inmates using smuggled phones to threaten high-profile individuals, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. Saturday’s episode has further exposed the fragile state of prison administration in the state.
A formal FIR has been registered at SMS Police Station. Meanwhile, prison authorities are under pressure to explain how medical check-ups turned into brunches and how jailers seemingly became chauffeurs for inmates who could afford their freedom - if only temporarily.
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