AIZAWL: Seventeen prisoners, including convicts and undertrial inmates lodged in Mizoram’s Lunglei District Jail, were allegedly released illegally using forged court documents and fake release orders, police said on Saturday. Most of the released inmates have since been traced and re-arrested.
According to Mizoram Police, the prisoners — many accused or convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and theft-related offences — were released between January 30 and March 18 this year based on fabricated judicial documents.
Police described the incident as a major fraud involving fake court orders purportedly issued by judicial authorities. The matter came to light after Lunglei Police Station received a First Information Report (FIR) on April 27 from R. Lalduhawmi, District and Sessions Judge of Lunglei Judicial District.
The FIR stated that during court proceedings on April 24, 2026, two undertrial prisoners appeared before the court carrying documents allegedly issued by the Lunglei District and Sessions Court and the Gauhati High Court. The documents claimed the prisoners had been granted release on a discharge bond after payment of a Rs 50,000 fine and directed them to appear in court on April 24.
However, the judge noticed discrepancies because the same prisoners had already appeared before her on April 23 and their next hearing had officially been scheduled for May 8. Suspecting foul play, she personally visited Lunglei District Jail to verify the documents and seek clarification from jail authorities. (IANS)
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