A 23-year-old undertrial inmate facing rape charges escaped while being taken inside a prisoner in Tripura’s Unakoti district.

An alert has been sounded along the adjacent international border, so that the prisoner cannot flee to Bangladesh.

According to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kailashahar, the incident occurred when three undertrial prisoners were taken back to Kailashahar jail on Thursday evening after their production in a court.

Usually, the hearing of cases in the police court concludes at around 3 PM but it continued till 7 PM on Thursday.

It was dark, when they alighted from the prison van in front of the jail to be taken inside after returning from the court. The rape accused then took advantage of the circumstance and fled.

The fugitive was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in October. The two other undertrials, however, were taken inside the jail safely.