Chaibasa : Five Maoist prisoners were shot dead by police when they tried to escape. Some under trail prisoners including some hardcore naxalites were being brought back to Chaibasa jail in West Singhbhum district from court Tuesday but 12 other rebels got away.
Reportedly the prisoners threw chilly powder on the police man in a bid to escape and the police open fired at the fleeing prisoners.
According to police, more than 50 prisoners, most of whom were Maoist guerrillas, were brought back to the jail in Chaibasa, around 200 km from Ranchi, Tuesday afternoon after producing them in local court.
When the prisoners got down near the jail gate, the Maoists17 of them, tried to escape by sprinkling chili powder on policemen and taking advantage of the weekly market being held nearby.
The policemen opened fire on the escaping prisoners, killing five but the others managed to escape. A high alert has been sounded and all possible exit borders have been sealed. Police have launched an operation to arrest the escaped prisoners.