State Correspondents News Desk
Srinagar, Aug 26: In a swift breakthrough following a high-profile jailbreak, two undertrial prisoners facing serious charges under the POCSO Act who escaped from Central Jail Srinagar earlier this week have been nabbed in Rajasthan, officials said on Wednesday.
The fugitives—identified as Farman Khan, a native of Rajasthan, and Mukhtar Ahmad Gujjar, a resident of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir—were intercepted and arrested from Khan’s native town of Sadanpora in Rajasthan during a targeted operation.
The duo, lodged in connection with separate sexual assault cases involving minors, had breached security and escaped from the high-security Central Jail Srinagar on Sunday.
According to police records:
- Farman Khan faces prosecution under Sections 3 and 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a case registered at Police Station Lar in Ganderbal district.
- Mukhtar Ahmad Gujjar is booked under identical POCSO charges in an FIR registered at Police Station Soura in Srinagar.
Authorities launched a multi-state manhunt and technical tracking immediately after the jailbreak was detected. Legal formalities are underway to bring both accused back to Srinagar under transit remand, while a separate inquiry continues into the security lapse at the central prison.
