Kalaburagi prison break: One convict shot and caught, hunt on for two others
Synopsis
Three life convicts — two convicted under POCSO and one for murder — scaled a 20-foot wall to break out of Kalaburagi Central Prison in the early hours of Tuesday. One has been shot and caught; two remain at large. The breakout, in the home district of Karnataka's Home Minister, has exposed a serious security failure and triggered a probe into possible insider involvement.
Key Takeaways
Three life convicts escaped Kalaburagi Central Prison at around 3 am on Tuesday, 15 July , by scaling a 20-foot compound wall .
Convict Santhosh Basappa Metre ( 28 ), convicted under rape and POCSO charges, was shot in the right leg and arrested near Humnabad Ring Road on Wednesday morning.
Two police personnel — Kalyani and Prakash — were injured in the encounter and hospitalised.
The remaining two fugitives, Mastaan and Sagar , are still at large; inter-district teams from Bidar , Kalaburagi , and Yadgir are conducting the manhunt.
Authorities are probing possible insider involvement by prison staff; disciplinary action is being considered against negligent officers.
The escape has embarrassed the state government as Kalaburagi is the home district of Home Minister Priyank Kharge .
One of three life convicts who broke out of Kalaburagi Central Prison in Karnataka was apprehended in a police encounter in the early hours of Wednesday, 15 July, after sustaining a gunshot injury to his right leg. The remaining two fugitives are still at large, with an intensive multi-district manhunt underway.
How the Prison Break Unfolded
The three convicts — all natives of Bidar district — escaped from the high-security facility at around 3 am on Tuesday by cutting through the grill of their barrack and scaling the prison's 20-foot-high compound wall. According to police, they fashioned a makeshift rope using blankets, clothes, and pillow covers tied together to climb over the wall. CCTV footage reportedly captured the trio walking freely after the escape before boarding a vehicle.
Preliminary investigations suggest the inmates had been planning the jailbreak for two to three days. Authorities are also probing whether prison staff or other insiders facilitated the escape, as questions remain over why the convicts were allegedly outside their cells during the night despite round-the-clock surveillance, CCTV monitoring, and CISF personnel deployed at the facility.
The Encounter Near Humnabad Ring Road
Acting on a tip-off on Wednesday morning about a suspect's movement near Humnabad Ring Road in an industrial area, police teams rushed to the location. Kalaburagi Police Commissioner S.D. Sharanappa said warning shots were fired into the air and the accused was asked to surrender.
'When police intercepted him, warning shots were fired into the air. However, he allegedly attempted to attack police personnel, forcing officers to open fire in self-defence. He sustained a gunshot injury to his right leg,' Sharanappa told reporters.
The apprehended convict, identified as Santhosh Basappa Metre (28), a resident of Santpur in Bidar district, had been serving a life sentence for rape and a POCSO case and had been lodged in Kalaburagi Central Prison since 2025. Two police personnel — identified as Kalyani and Prakash — were injured during the operation and have been hospitalised.
The Hunt for Mastaan and Sagar
The two remaining fugitives have been identified as Mastaan and Sagar. Commissioner Sharanappa said the escapees avoided main roads and moved through agricultural fields. Santhosh had initially been travelling with one of the others before the duo separated upon noticing heavy police presence on major roads.
Inter-district special teams comprising personnel from Kalaburagi City Police, the North Eastern Range DIG's office, and the Superintendents of Police of Bidar, Kalaburagi, and Yadgir districts have been deployed for the manhunt. A case was registered at Farhatabad Police Station on a complaint by prison authorities.
'We cannot say where the other two are headed. Alerts have been issued across districts, and search operations are continuing,' Sharanappa added. According to police, two of the three convicts — including Mastaan — were convicted in rape and POCSO cases, while Sagar is serving a sentence for murder.
Political Fallout and Security Scrutiny
The prison break has caused considerable embarrassment to the Karnataka state government, particularly given that Kalaburagi is the home district of state Home Minister Priyank Kharge. Officials have described the incident as a major security lapse, and disciplinary action is being considered against prison officers found negligent. A statewide alert has been sounded, and investigators are also trying to determine whether the inmates received external assistance after escaping.
With two dangerous convicts still on the run and insider involvement not yet ruled out, the pressure on Karnataka's prison administration and law enforcement is set to intensify in the coming hours.
Point of View
Round-the-clock surveillance, and CISF personnel — is not merely an operational failure; it is a systems failure. The fact that three convicts had two to three days to plan the breakout without detection points to either chronic understaffing, compromised personnel, or both. That the incident occurred in the home district of the state Home Minister adds political weight, but the more pressing question is structural: Karnataka's prison administration must answer how a 20-foot wall, a grill, and a makeshift rope defeated every layer of its security architecture. The probe into insider involvement is the right call — and its outcome will define whether this is treated as an aberration or a symptom.
NationPress
15 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the three convicts escape from Kalaburagi Central Prison?
The three convicts escaped at around 3 am on Tuesday, 15 July, by cutting through the grill of their barrack and scaling the prison's 20-foot compound wall using a makeshift rope fashioned from blankets, clothes, and pillow covers. CCTV footage reportedly captured them walking freely after the escape before boarding a vehicle.
Who was the convict shot and arrested in the Kalaburagi encounter?
The arrested convict is Santhosh Basappa Metre, 28, a resident of Santpur in Bidar district, who was serving a life sentence for rape and a POCSO case. He was shot in his right leg near Humnabad Ring Road after allegedly attempting to attack police personnel during the operation.
Who are the two convicts still at large after the Kalaburagi prison break?
The two remaining fugitives are identified as Mastaan and Sagar, both natives of Bidar district. Mastaan is convicted in a rape and POCSO case, while Sagar is serving a life sentence for murder. Inter-district teams are conducting a manhunt across Kalaburagi and neighbouring districts.
Is there a suspicion of insider involvement in the Kalaburagi prison break?
Yes, authorities are actively probing whether prison staff or other insiders assisted the escape. Questions have been raised over why the convicts were allegedly outside their cells at night despite CCTV monitoring, round-the-clock surveillance, and CISF personnel being deployed at the facility.
What is the political significance of the Kalaburagi prison break?
The escape has caused considerable embarrassment to the Karnataka state government because Kalaburagi is the home district of state Home Minister Priyank Kharge. Officials have described it as a major security lapse, and disciplinary action is being considered against prison officers found negligent.
