A dozen inmates including five Indian criminals escaped from a prison in south-eastern Nepal on Thursday night. The inmates dug a 40-feet long tunnel to escape the eastern regional prison based in Jhumka of Sunsari district bordering India. The incident came to light on Friday morning during a roll-call of inmates.

“Of the escaped jailbirds five are Indians and the rest Nepalis. Investigations are underway to nab them,” said an official at Nepal Police central newsroom in Kathmandu. 

There were over 600 inmates in the prison located nearly 500 km south-east from Kathmandu.

All escaped prisoners were lodged for various charges ranging from forgery to murder. The most notorious among them, Dhirendra Yadav, an Indian, has been involved in many cases of abduction and murder.  

A manhunt has been launched to nab the escaped prisoners but there’s apprehension that some of them might have already entered India as the border is barely 30 km southwards from the prison.