Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), August 24: A high alert has been issued across Kashmir after two undertrial prisoners, both facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, escaped from Srinagar’s high-security Central Jail late Sunday evening by scaling the outer wall.
The public has been urged to share any information with the nearest police station or by calling 112. 19/2026, registered at Lar Police Station in Ganderbal on June 23, 2026. The FIR invokes Sections 137(2) and 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3/4 of the POCSO Act relating to penetrative sexual assault. 20/2026, registered at Soura Police Station in Srinagar on April 13, 2026. The case involves Sections 137(2) and 65(1) of the BNS, along with the same sections of the POCSO Act. The jailbreak is considered a rare incident at Srinagar Central Jail, which houses around 500 inmates. The prison has been under CISF security cover since October 2023, with the force responsible for security both inside and outside the facility.
A reward has also been announced for information leading to their arrest. The police identified the escapees as Farman Khan, a resident of Sadanpora in Rajasthan, and Mukhtar Ahmed Gujjar, a resident of Sanglan Chittargul in Anantnag, South Kashmir. Both were facing trial under the POCSO Act. Farman Khan was lodged in the jail in connection with FIR No. Mukhtar Ahmed Gujjar was jailed in connection with FIR No. Officials have so far refrained from commenting on the exact sequence of events leading to the escape. Police and prison authorities are examining CCTV footage as part of the investigation.
Eight staff members have been suspended pending completion of the investigation, according to sources. A high-level interim inquiry into the security lapse has also been initiated.
