SHILLONG, Feb 15 � Mastermind of the Shillong jail break, Fullmoon Dhar had Rs 2.5 lakh on himself before police tracked and shot him down near Um-Pawai forest in Jaintia Hills district, on June 1 last year.
Fullmoon along with six others escaped the district jail on May 31 last year. Fullmoon smuggled in arms, alcohol and money into the jail before the escape with the connivance of jail staffers.
One of the seven UTPs, Sankyntiewlang Decruse, who escaped the jail, deposing before a commission headed by retired Gauhati High Court judge, Justice D Biswas said on Saturday that Fullmoon had Rs 2.5 lakh in wads of Rs 1,000 denomination during the escape.
Fullmoon after the escape bought food with the money from villagers as the fugitives sneaked through forests to reach Jaintia Hills district in the next 24 hours, Decruse told the commission.
It has been alleged that Congress District Council member from Jaintia Hills, Thomas Nongtdu funded the jailbreak. It has also been accused that Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Vincent H Pala was in constant touch with Fullmoon on the phone before the jailbreak. Both, however, denied the accusations.
In another revelation, Decruse said that Warder Bharat Singh asked the escaping under trial prisoners to inflict injury on him to avoid suspicion from higher authorities.
Singh who was the guard at the jail gate on May 31, asked Fullmoon to injure him, while they were fleeing. Singh, according to Decruse, helped their escape, and Fullmoon before escaping hit Singh on the head with the butt of his pistol injuring the guard.
Singh later told jail authorities that he opposed the prisoners� escape but his resistance proved futile. However, Singh and several other jail staff were suspended after their involvement in the jailbreak was established by the jail authorities.
The Biswas Commission has listed March 13 as the next date for hearing.
