One of 14 detainees who escaped from a cell at the Central Police Station in Sagaing Region’s Hkamti on Tuesday morning was shot dead later that afternoon by security personnel and four others have been rearrested, according to the Hkamti People’s Defense Force (PDF).
The inmates used tools to cut through the cell’s bars and escaped from the police station at around 3 a.m. One inmate was rearrested soon after, and another was rearrested some three hours later.
Three more were stopped at around 3 p.m. by junta security forces, who had blocked all routes from the town. One of the three was shot dead as security personnel opened fire on them, and the other two were taken into custody. The dead man’s identity is still unknown.
There were reports that the escapees seized a gun from a policeman on duty during the breakout from the police station, and that three policemen helped them escape. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify those reports, however.
Other sources told The Irrawaddy that the escapees included members of the Kachin Independence Army and PDF members who were detained and charged with terrorism and illegal possession of firearms over the past few months.
