Mumbai: If you thought the only place a pair of tongs could be used is the kitchen, three prisoners from Kalyan jail thought otherwise. The trio, in their desperation to escape from the prison, cooked up a jail-break that left the jail staff aghast.

According to jail authorities, Raju Barsali Harijan alias Rajkumar, 22,Shivmangal Ishwar Mishra, 24 and Mohammad Alishan Khan, 24 - all arrested on charges of theft, robbery and molestation by Narpoli police in Thane - were lodged in the prison since September 2. The trio escaped from the jail in Adharwadi, Kalyan between 5.30am and 6.15am. A high-level inquiry has been set up in the case. Details about the policemen, who were on duty at the time of the incident, will also be sought.

On Thursday, at around 3.30am, the trio had to report to the jail kitchen to prepare breakfast. Two hours later, the trio took the tongs to the toilet in the kitchen, broke open the asbestos roof, which is at a height of around 7 feet, and jumped outside. They then proceeded to the main wall and inserted the tongs into a crack in the wall. After this, they climbed on the tong and used it to jump over the 18-feet wall.

The trio had a given a slip to the jail staff between 5.30am to 6.15am, just before other prisoners woke up to wrap up their daily chores and get ready for Id and Gandhi Jayanti celebrations.

The jail constable, who was posted in the kitchen, last spotted them at 5.15am, when they had finished preparing breakfast and special lunch. "Since there was load shedding, there was complete darkness near the kitchen area of the jail. The inmates took advantage of this and escaped using the tongs," said jail superintendent Vijay Bendre.

The jail staff realised that three inmates were missing when the first headcount was conducted at 6.00am. Only 1,135 inmates were present of the 1,138."We searched the barracks for the three missing inmates. Then, we saw the toilet roof partly open. When we rushed towards the main wall, we saw the tongs on the wall. It was then clear that the inmates had escaped," said a jail official, requesting anonymity.

Source : DNA