Guwahati, Oct 14 (IANS): One of the escaped prisoners from Assam’s Morigaon district jail was found dead in a lake on Monday, police said.

The deceased person has been identified as Abdul Rashid and he was undergoing trial in a POCSO case. He was lodged in the Morigaon district jail last year.

The Superintendent of Police (SP) in the Morigaon district said that one of the inmates, Abdur Rashid who escaped was found dead in a pond.

“We got to know about his movement in the Lahorighat area in the district two days ago and accordingly an operation was launched to nab him. The investigation team also traced his mobile and surrounded him in the Dumduma lake in Laharighat. The local people also helped the police team in the operation. However, Abdur Rashid somehow fell into the lake from a boat he was hiding in and died,” he said.

He added that the body was recovered and sent for a post-mortem examination.

The jail superintendent of Morigaon district jail was suspended following the escape of five undertrial prisoners on Friday in the previous week.

The suspension of the jail superintendent was ordered by the Inspector General (Prison) of Assam Police.

It has been alleged that there were lapses from the jail authority which was utilised by five inmates in breaking the jail.

According to police, the inmates allegedly used blankets, lungis, and bedsheets to scale the jail wall during the Friday night. They earlier broke the iron rods in their respective barracks and escaped.

The jail wall is about 20 feet high, however, the prisoner used blankets, lungis, and bedsheets to make a long rope to escape the tall boundary, the police claimed.

“The incident happened around 2 AM. All five of them were accused in a POCSO and the case was underway,” a senior police official said.

The inmates were identified as Saifuddin, Jiyarul, Nur Islam, Mafidul, and Abdul Rashid and were arrested last year.

“The rest four escaped prisoners will be brought behind bars very soon. A thorough investigation is underway to search for the other four inmates and their arrest is inevitable,” police said.