Cops capture last of two escaped prison detainees, thanks to tip-offs

PADAWAN: Information from a food delivery rider and residents of Taman High Park here led to the capture of the last two detainees who had escaped from the Transit Detention Centre (PTP) of the Puncak Borneo Prison six days ago.

Padawan District Deputy Police chief DSP Lim Jaw Shyong said Mohamad Fikrry Azzarudin Abdullah, 26, and Indonesian Rahmat Simbolan, 38, were captured at about 2.30 pm yesterday after they were found hiding in a swamp near a park.

Lim said both suspects were in a weak state due to a lack of food and had injuries on their bodies believed to have been caused by moving around in the forest at night.

He said police received information from a food delivery rider and the residents at about 10.30 am, saying they had spotted the two suspects crossing a road into the area.

"Police, with the cooperation of the General Operations Force's (GOF) Tiger Platoon, K9 unit of the Sarawak Police Headquarters, Puncak Borneo Prisons Department as well as its K9 unit, were deployed to the area and led to the arrest of the duo," he told reporters today.

The two suspects, each arrested for burglary under Section 457 of the Penal Code and drug cases under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, along with two other male detainees - Diveni Bunby, 36, and Bobin Bohan, 29 - had escaped from the Puncak Borneo Prison's PTP at about 5.11 pm on July 1.

However, Diveni and Bobin were re-arrested by the prison's patrol team around 6.25 pm and 10.50 pm on July 2 at a cemetery area and at Lorong 10 in Kampung Sinar Baru, Padawan.

On the day they escaped, a total of 49 detainees had been placed at a block of the PTP in the prison for COVID-19 screening.

The four escaped by prying open a grille inside one of the toilets during heavy rain and strong winds.

All four detainees have been handed over to the Puncak Borneo Prison and will be investigated under Section 224 of the Penal Code for escaping from lawful custody, which carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both, upon conviction.

-- BERNAMA