Three prison officers prosecuted for jail break in Hanoi

By Pham Du   October 20, 2017 | 05:05 pm PT
Three prison officers prosecuted for jail break in Hanoi
Le Van Tho (L) and Nguyen Van Tinh in photos provided by the police
Turning a blind eye has landed the guards in hot water following the daring escape of death row inmates.

Three officials at a jail in Hanoi have been arrested for allowing two convicts to break out from a cell.

Nguyen Duc Kien, Nguyen Van Thang and Nguyen Thai Hoang are being questioned regarding their roles in the break-out.

Investigators have accused them of “neglecting their responsibility”, a charge that carries up to 10 years in jail.

Le Van Tho, 37, and Nguyen Van Tinh, 28, shared a cell equipped with surveillance cameras at T16 prison in Thanh Oai District on the capital's outskirts.

Tho was given the death penalty in May for drug trafficking, murder and fraud. Tinh was sentenced to death in April for heroin trafficking.

Investigators found that Tho did most of the work by hiding a small piece of iron in his anus and using it to dig a hole in the wall of their cell over the space of several months. The two disguised the hole using rice mixed with toothpaste, they said.

Tho is also a professional locksmith and was able to uncuff himself before helping Tinh. They climbed out of the prison using a rope on the night of September 10 during heavy downpours.

Both were recaptured in nearby provinces after around 400 police officers were deployed.

 
 
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