Jailbreak Gone Wrong: Man Steals Rs 30L From Azamgarh Prison With Chequebook Heist

A Daring Heist with an Unlikely Mastermind

In an audacious move that echoes the most daring prison escapes in film history, a man accused of murdering his wife managed to orchestrate a heist from the inside. This startling story comes straight from Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district jail, where the inmate executed a plan reminiscent of 'The Shawshank Redemption' to siphon off Rs 30 lakh. The scheme unfolded after the accused, identified as Ramjit Yadav, walked free on bail, carrying with him a chequebook belonging to the prison.

The Inside Job: Aided by Jail Staff

The plot thickens with revelations that Yadav was not alone in this escapade. Authorities disclosed that another prisoner, Shiv Shankar alias Gorakh, alongside senior assistant Musheer Ahmad and jail watchman Awdhesh Kumar Pandey, played significant roles in the heist. Their collective efforts led to the transfer of nearly Rs 30 lakh from the jail's account, managed by the superintendent, into Yadav's personal bank account.

“It was a meticulously planned operation that highlights severe lapses in prison security,” said an anonymous source close to the investigation.

The Unraveling of a Flawed Plan

The fraud was unearthed when jail superintendent Aditya Kumar Singh noticed a suspicious withdrawal of Rs 2.6 lakh on September 22. Upon confronting Musheer Ahmad, the accounts in-charge, the discrepancies were initially denied, prompting a deeper dive into the account records. This internal probe soon exposed the full extent of the fraudulent activities, revealing Yadav's impersonation as a jail contractor and his forgery of the superintendent's signature on the cheques.

Consequences and Ongoing Investigations

As the dust begins to settle, Yadav, along with his accomplices, has been apprehended, facing new charges alongside his original accusation of wife murder, for which he had been imprisoned since February 2023. The case serves as a stark reminder of the potential for corruption and the vulnerabilities within prison systems, prompting an urgent call for reforms.