Two POCSO convicts escape from Assam jail arrested in Karnataka

Guwahati: Two men convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, who had escaped from Morigaon district jail in Assam, were traced and arrested in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, police said.

The convicts were later handed over to Assam authorities.

The duo, identified as M.D. Jairul Islam (24) and Subrata Sarkar (33) of Morigaon, were serving 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentences when they escaped from the district jail on August 20 by breaking open the rods of their barrack and scaling the walls.

Assam police, suspecting that the convicts may have fled to Chikkamagaluru—where one of them reportedly had connections—contacted local authorities for assistance.

Acting on the information, Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police Vikram Amathe tasked a special team led by Rural Police Inspector Sachin, which successfully apprehended the men on August 26. The convicts were then handed back to Assam police for further proceedings.

Officials noted that a significant number of Assam residents work as plantation laborers in Chikkamagaluru and neighbouring districts, which may have influenced the escapees’ choice of location.