Bangladesh authorities are still searching for 690 inmates who remain at large after 2,247 prisoners escaped from various jails across the country during a mass uprising in July.
Security forces have arrested and returned 1,557 of the escaped inmates to prison, Brigadier General Syed Md. Motahar Hossain said during a press conference on Tuesday, August 18, at the Department of Prisons headquarters in Old Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. However, officials currently have no information on the whereabouts of 166 inmates who fled from a prison in the central district of Narsingdi. Out of the 826 prisoners who broke out of that specific facility, 660 have been recaptured.
Addressing questions about drugs entering prison facilities and the alleged cooperation of jail guards, Hossain stated that the prison directorate has adopted a zero tolerance policy against narcotics and financial corruption. Over the past two years, the department has forced 21 personnel into retirement and dismissed 82 others for various offenses including drug involvement.
In addition to the dismissals, authorities have filed departmental cases against 870 employees and administratively transferred 303 individuals from various departments for minor infractions. Hossain added that if any prison guard is found involved in drug-related crimes, authorities file criminal charges against them before handing them over to the police.
