Over 200 prisoners break out of Pakistani jail after earthquake panic: official | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
June 15, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2025
Over 200 prisoners break out of Pakistani jail after earthquake panic: official

South Asia

Reuters
03 June, 2025, 01:50 pm
Last modified: 03 June, 2025, 04:13 pm

Related News

  • Pakistan rejects reports of missile supply to Iran
  • Pakistan open, 'not desperate' for talks with arch-rival India, says foreign minister
  • Trump says Pakistani representatives coming to US next week for trade talks
  • Pakistan to upgrade diplomatic ties with Afghanistan in easing of tensions
  • India and Pakistan's drone battles mark new arms race in Asia

Over 200 prisoners break out of Pakistani jail after earthquake panic: official

Hundreds of prisoners were allowed into the courtyard of the jail due to the tremors, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the provincial law minister, told reporters at the scene

Reuters
03 June, 2025, 01:50 pm
Last modified: 03 June, 2025, 04:13 pm
Members of media are seen through a broken glass window inside the premises of the district Malir jail after dozens of prisoners escaped from the jail on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo
Members of media are seen through a broken glass window inside the premises of the district Malir jail after dozens of prisoners escaped from the jail on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo

Over 200 prisoners escaped in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi late on Monday after they were permitted to leave their cells following a series of earthquake tremors, local officials and police said.

Hundreds of prisoners were allowed into the courtyard of the jail due to the tremors, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the provincial law minister, told reporters at the scene.

"There was panic here because of earthquake tremors," said Lanjar, adding that it was hard to control a throng of up to 1,000 people.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

The jailbreak began just before midnight on Monday and carried on till the early hours of Tuesday, he said.

Police said the prisoners snatched guns from prison staff, leading to a shootout, and then forced open the main gate.

On Tuesday, a Reuters reporter at the site saw shattered glass and damaged electronic equipment inside the jail. A meeting room, for prisoners to see their families, had been ransacked. Anxious family members gathered outside the jail on Tuesday.

It was one of the largest jailbreaks ever in Pakistan, Lanjar said. The prison in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, is in a poor residential and industrial neighbourhood.

Prisoners ran through the area through the night, some barefoot, chased by police, with police managing to round some up into police vans, local TV footage showed.

Provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said that most of the inmates had been involved in small-time crimes like drug addiction.

At least one prisoner was killed in the shooting, which also wounded three prison staff, he said.

Murad Ali Shah, the provincial chief minister, said that around 80 prisoners had so far been caught, adding that it was a mistake for the prison authorities to have allowed the inmates out of their cells. He warned those still at large to hand themselves in, or face a serious charge for breaking out.

"Petty crime charges will become a big case like terrorism," Shah said.

Top News / World+Biz

Pakistan / Prison Break

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Banks' classified loans soar by Tk74,570cr in 3 months, hit Tk4.2 lakh crore
    Banks' classified loans soar by Tk74,570cr in 3 months, hit Tk4.2 lakh crore
  • A missile is launched during an air defence drill in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on January 12, 2025. Photo: Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
    Investors on edge over Israel-Iran conflict, oil price volatility
  • News of The Day, 15 JUNE 2025
    News of The Day, 15 JUNE 2025

MOST VIEWED

  • Vehicles were seen stuck on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway due to a traffic jam stretching 15 kilometres on 14 June 2025. Photo: TBS
    15km traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway as post-Eid rush continues
  • Tour operator Borsha Islam. Photo: Collected
    ‘Tour Expert’ admin Borsha Islam arrested over Bandarban tourist deaths
  • Infographic: TBS
    Chattogram Port proposes 70%-100% tariff hike
  • Fighter jet. Photo: AFP
    3 F-35 fighter jets downed, two Israeli pilots in custody, claims Iranian media
  • Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur. TBS Sketch
    Merger of 5 Islamic banks at final stage: BB governor
  • Infograph: TBS
    Why 10 economic zones, including BGMEA's garment park, were cancelled

Related News

  • Pakistan rejects reports of missile supply to Iran
  • Pakistan open, 'not desperate' for talks with arch-rival India, says foreign minister
  • Trump says Pakistani representatives coming to US next week for trade talks
  • Pakistan to upgrade diplomatic ties with Afghanistan in easing of tensions
  • India and Pakistan's drone battles mark new arms race in Asia

Features

Renowned authors Imdadul Haque Milon, Mohit Kamal, and poet–children’s writer Rashed Rouf seen at Current Book Centre, alongside the store's proprietor, Shahin. Photo: Collected

From ‘Screen and Culture’ to ‘Current Book House’: Chattogram’s oldest surviving bookstore

3h | Panorama
Photos: Collected

Kurtis that make a great office wear

2d | Mode
Among pet birds in the country, lovebirds are the most common, and they are also the most numerous in the haat. Photo: Junayet Rashel

Where feathers meet fortune: How a small pigeon stall became Dhaka’s premiere bird market

4d | Panorama
Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS

Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon

5d | Features

More Videos from TBS

Iran's gas production from South Pars halted after Israeli attack

Iran's gas production from South Pars halted after Israeli attack

8m | TBS World
New Weapons, Old Rivalry: Iran Fires Missiles at Israel

New Weapons, Old Rivalry: Iran Fires Missiles at Israel

2h | TBS World
5 Islamic banks to merge into one, no one will lose their jobs: BB governor

5 Islamic banks to merge into one, no one will lose their jobs: BB governor

2h | TBS Today
How the world is reacting to Israel attacks on Iran?

How the world is reacting to Israel attacks on Iran?

2h | TBS World
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net