“The fugitives have been put on the most-wanted list and the entire Jayapura City Police force is involved in a manhunt,” Jayapura City Police chief Comr. Amazona Pelamonia told reporters on Monday.
Police questioned three guards on duty during the prison break, Amazona said.

“We will also summon another four guards who should have been on duty but were absent at the time of incident. We want to find out if [their absence] was intentional.”

Police have already conducted searches of several suspected hiding places, including ports and airports, he added. “They might be attempting to flee from Jayapura.”

Police have assigned 10 officers to Jayapura prison to bolster the guard force, he added.

The prisoners climbed down walls with ropes that were woven from their clothes and then escaped from Abepura, Amazona said.

The escapees — 15 convicts and 11 detainees — broke out around 3 p.m., during an exercise period.
“Every afternoon inmates are taken out of their blocks. They escaped while the others were performing exercise,” said Abepura prison warden Liberty Sitinjak on Sunday.

Forty-four inmates escaped from Abepura prison in May. Eighteen inmates escaped on May 3. Police have since recaptured two inmates.

Liberty said a lack of discipline among guards was responsible for the breakout. “During the incident, only three of the seven guards were on duty,” he said.

The prison is no longer usable because surrounding trees have grown taller than the prison walls. Abepura would have to compensate local residents if it cuts down the trees, he said.

The trees also block the view of guards who are watching the prison walls, he added.

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