Morung Express News
Mokokchung | October 30
Three under-trial prisoners facing charges of kidnapping and murder escaped from the Mokokchung District Jail in the early hours of Thursday, in an incident that has raised serious questions over the facility’s security and condition.
According to an First Information Report (FIR) filed by L. Bumeng Khiam, Superintendent of District Jail Mokokchung, the jailbreak occurred around 3:36 a.m. on October 30. The escapees have been identified as Sukam Ali (20), Roshida Ali (26), and Habibullah Islam (21), all residents of Wokha district.
The trio had been lodged in the facility since August 21, 2025, in connection with GR No. 09/25, Case No. 01/25 under Sections 140(3) and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to kidnapping/abduction with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person, and murder.
Superintendent Khiam stated that the inmates had reported a skin infection on October 21 and, upon medical examination and recommendation, were shifted to a separate ward. The escape was carried out from this ward.
The incident took place during the 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. security shift, during which four personnel were on duty overseeing eight inmate wards.
Taking advantage of weak infrastructure, the prisoners reportedly dug through a dilapidated toilet wall using spoon handles, dislodged bricks, and used clothes and bedsheets as makeshift ropes to scale the 20-foot northern boundary wall of the prison.
While refraining from commenting on specific lapses, Khiam attributed the jailbreak to the deteriorating condition of the facility, constructed in 1972. “The cement has lost its strength, and the concrete can be easily peeled off by hand,” he said.
The District Jail Mokokchung had previously drawn attention after a major wall collapse, with another similar incident occurring on the opposite side a few years ago.
Authorities have circulated photographs of the escaped inmates to all police stations across Nagaland and neighbouring Assam. A search operation has been launched to trace and re-arrest the fugitives.
