Kavre, November 16:

Three policemen, who were taken into custody on the charge of helping three jail inmates escape from the Dhulikhel district prison two days ago, are under probe, the Kavre district police office said. Assistant sub inspector Ram Krishna Thapa, constable Krishna Thapa and constable Saila Tamang, have been accused of helping the prisoners escape from the main-gate of the jail at 7:00 pm on Wednesday.

Chief of the prison, Matrika Dahal, said the district court today remanded the three accused policemen to seven days in judicial custody for further investigation. “A case will be filed against the three policemen after seven days,” he said. Among the escapees, 20-year-old Uttam Bahadur Thapamagar and 19-year-old Kamal Bahadur Thapamagar had been serving jail term since April 17, 2007 for their involvement in a robbery. A former soldier, Bhakta Bahadur Shahi, of Dailekh, who had been imprisoned in connection with a rape case since January 28, 2007, had also lent a hand to escape simultaneously.

Chief district officer Kabi Raj Khanal said it was clear that the policemen on duty had a hand in the jail-break. A search is on for the absconded jail inmates and an investigation is underway against the accused policemen, said deputy superintendent of police in Kavre Mahendra Pokh-arel. Chief of the Bagmati zonal police office Yadav Adhikari and director at jail administration Uddhav Bhatta, after inspecting the Dhulikhel prison, instructed the police to take action against the convicted policemen.