Eight inmates escaped from Dolpa District Prison on Saturday by digging a tunnel beneath the prison compound, just three days after a new official was assigned to oversee security at the facility.

The escape came after the duty in-charge was replaced following a drug trafficking incident at the prison, Chief District Officer Junu Hamal said.

A preliminary investigation suggests the inmates damaged structures along the prison's inner wall and outer compound to dig their way out. The tunnel was dug around a septic tank, which the inmates appear to have worked around, Hamal said. It was approximately 3.5 metres long and four to five feet deep.

The incident has raised questions about security monitoring and prison management. Hamal said the inmates may have studied security arrangements and identified weaknesses before carrying out the escape.

“Although the security plan was adequate, there appear to have been delays in its implementation and in responding to the incident,” she said. “The issue raises questions not just about possible negligence by security personnel but also about weaknesses in the overall security management and monitoring system.”

Authorities are reviewing the duties and responsibilities of security personnel deployed at the prison. They are also inspecting the CCTV system and testing older cameras to identify possible lapses, Hamal said.

Police have circulated information about the escapees and launched a search operation. Their mobile phones are being subjected to technical surveillance. Authorities have also sent their photographs and identifying details to possible exit points and transit routes, amid concerns that they may have fled outside the district or crossed the border.

Their photographs have been made public through social media and local media outlets. Authorities are also preparing to mobilise teams at the central level to help locate them, Hamal said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Raj Giri, Dolpa police chief, said personnel had been deployed to all possible locations to track down and arrest the fugitives. However, police have yet to obtain any concrete leads about their whereabouts. Their mobile phone records are also being examined, he said.

A three-member committee led by Police Inspector Binay Kumar Singh has been formed to investigate how the escape occurred and identify security lapses. The committee has already begun its work, Giri said.

Five serving sentences in rape cases, three in theft cases

Of the eight escapees, five were serving sentences in rape cases and three were involved in theft cases, police said. Six were serving prison sentences, while two were being held pending trial.

Those serving sentences in rape cases are Ram BK of Aathbiskot Municipality-10 in Rukum West; Kal Prasad Rokaya of Tripurasundari Municipality-7 in Dolpa; Hari Bahadur Budha, also known as Dhan Bahadur Budha,  of Tripurasundari-4; Resham Rana of Kumakh Rural Municipality-5 in Salyan; and Yagya BK of Barekot Rural Municipality-1 in Jajarkot.

Kapil Pariyar, also known as Kailash, of Nalagad Municipality-9 in Jajarkot, who was serving a sentence in a theft case, also escaped.

The other two, Tilak Bhandari of Aathbiskot Municipality-5 and Aadesh Bhandari of ward 3 of the same municipality in Rukum West, were being held pending trial in theft cases.

The prison had 17 inmates and pre-trial detainees before the escape. The incident came to light when prison authorities conducted a headcount at 6am on Saturday and found that eight were missing.