Bathinda, Sept. 30 -- A 28-year-old man accused of burglary escaped from the high-security Bathinda Central Jail on Sunday.

The accused, Tilak Raj, alias Kaku, was found missing during the Sunday evening headcount, according to jail authorities. Even 24 hours after the escape, Tilak remained untraceable.

Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal said Tilak Raj was arrested for trespassing and theft at a house in Parasram Nagar locality in Bathinda on September 18. He was produced in court and sent to judicial custody on September 21.

Denying that the accused scaled the wall to escape, prison superintendent Shivraj Singh said preliminary inquiry did not indicate involvement of any jail staff in the crime. "It appears ...