Staff Reporter
IT must have been a tough choice for the inmates who stayed behind when eleven others escaped on Saturday through a hole they created in the wall of the police holding cells at Omuthiya, Oshikoto Region.
Six of the escaped suspects have since been rearrested, while the other five are still at large. The police have vowed to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all the escapees are back behind bars.
The escapees, who were awaiting trial, are accused of a variety of crimes, including rape, fraud, bribery, organized crime, theft, armed robbery, housebreaking, assault, possession of drugs, and attempted murder.
Those who have been rearrested now face additional charges of escaping from lawful custody and malicious damage to property.
Their escape plan appears to have been well orchestrated and assisted from outside the cells.
Deputy Commissioner Wynand Neels, Oshikoto’s Acting Regional Police Commander, said the police are investigating how the inmates managed to escape.
It is alleged that metal objects were used to break through the wall by removing the bricks one at a time until there was a hole large enough for them to escape. They then jumped over the perimeter fence and disappeared into the darkness.
The jailbreak was only discovered in the morning when officers noticed the hole in the holding cell’s wall.
The exact number of inmates who stayed behind, despite the wide opening in the wall, was not revealed.
