Convict escapes from high-security Yerawada jail

A 40-year-old murder convict escaped from the Yerawada jail in Pune after cutting the iron grills of his barrack and jumping over the jail wall, the police said on Tuesday.

Balasaheb Pawar, who fled the jail premises on Monday night, was undergoing a life sentence for murdering his brother-in-law in 2004.

Pawar reportedly managed to procure a hacksaw blade, pipe and a rope from the jail's industrial unit where he was deployed for work, police sources added.

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagve announced the suspension of four prison guards in connection with the security lapse at the central jail which houses nearly 3,000 convicts from across the state.