30 prisoners, broken van, rain: Cops pull off tense roadside transfer in Lucknow

The van broke down on the busy road just as heavy rain began lashing the area, leaving cops with the task of securing the vehicle and ensuring that none of the inmates was allowed to leave it

LUCKNOW A sudden downpour and a mechanical failure created a tense security situation on Sultanpur Road on Monday night after a police van transporting roughly 30 prisoners broke down near Khurdahi Bazaar in Sushant Golf City.

The incident happened around 7:35pm when the inmates were being taken to the district jail in Gosainganj after a hearing in a Lucknow court. (Sourced)

The incident happened around 7:35pm when the inmates were being taken to the district jail in Gosainganj after a hearing in a Lucknow court. An hour later, another prison van was rerouted to the spot. Under heavy security, all inmates were safely transferred to the second vehicle and transported to the jail without any security breaches.

The first van broke down on the busy road just as heavy rain began lashing the area, leaving the policemen with the immediate task of securing the vehicle and ensuring that none of the inmates was allowed to leave it. Traffic on the Sultanpur Road was also severely affected as the disabled van remained stuck on the main carriageway.

With the rain intensifying and the vehicle unable to move, the prisoners remained inside for a considerable period while police worked to arrange a replacement.

“Police reached the spot soon after being alerted and created a security cordon around the van. The vehicle was eventually towed to the roadside to clear the carriageway and ease the traffic congestion,” said ADCP (south) Vasanth Rallapalli.

Transferring the inmates in the middle of the night under heavy rainfall presented a significant operational challenge. Following instructions from senior officers, a replacement prison van was dispatched from the police lines and arrived about an hour later.

The prisoners, who were already restrained with a rope, were shifted one by one to the second vehicle under the watch of local police.

“They were tied with a rope already and force remained present. The prisoners were shifted one after another under the presence of local police,” said the ADCP. He added that a team of around five policemen was deployed during the operation.

Once the transfer was completed, the replacement van left for the jail with the prisoners under tight security. Jail officials said all 30 inmates reached safely later at night.

Despite the disruption, police said there was no security lapse during the incident and no prisoner escaped or was injured.

The technical failure that caused the original prison van to break down is being examined, said police.