DHAKA — Nearly 700 prisoners who escaped from Bangladesh’s jails during the violent upheaval of July-August 2024 remain at large two years later, including two militants, raising continuing concerns over prison security and the authorities’ failure to recapture hundreds of fugitives.
Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Syed Mohammad Motaher Hossain disclosed the figures at a press conference at the Department of Prisons in Dhaka on Tuesday.
He said 690 escaped inmates have yet to be recaptured. They are among more than 2,200 prisoners who fled amid attacks, arson and severe disorder during the 2024 unrest.
Hundreds of police stations were attacked and scores of police personnel were killed amid widespread violence aimed at creating anarchy and toppling the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.
The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus granted indemnity for offenses committed in connection with the July uprising, while those involved have been honored as “July Warriors.” The present government has retained the indemnity ordinance.
The prisons chief said the overwhelming majority of militants who escaped during the unrest had since been recaptured, but two remain at large.
The disclosure highlights how one of the most serious breakdowns of Bangladesh’s prison system in recent history continues to have consequences two years later.
Several prisons came under attack during the unrest, allowing inmates to escape after security systems collapsed. Earlier official accounts put the total number of escapees at more than 2,200. Many later surrendered or were rearrested, but hundreds remain beyond the reach of law-enforcement agencies.
Hundreds remain missing two years later
The number of fugitives has gradually declined since the mass prison breaks.
In September 2024, the prisons chief said 901 inmates remained at large. At the time, authorities reported that 98 militants had escaped from prisons, including 70 who had been convicted. Twenty-seven militants were then still unaccounted for.
By December 2024, authorities said around 1,500 of more than 2,200 escaped prisoners had been recaptured, leaving roughly 700 at large. Officials said the fugitives included militants, death-row convicts and people accused or convicted in serious criminal cases.
The latest figure of 690 indicates that progress in locating the remaining escapees has been slow.
Those who fled were not limited to suspects awaiting trial. Previous official disclosures showed that some were convicted prisoners serving lengthy sentences.
Prison attacks triggered mass escapes
Bangladesh’s prison system faced extraordinary disruption during the political violence of July and August 2024.
Prisons in several districts were attacked or engulfed by disorder, allowing large numbers of inmates to escape. Earlier accounts from prison authorities said eight prisons came under attack, with inmates escaping from five of them.
Narsingdi District Jail was among the worst affected.
On July 19, 2024, hundreds of people stormed the prison and set the facility on fire. Prison authorities later said 826 inmates escaped from Narsingdi alone. Of them, 690 were subsequently rearrested or surrendered.
Prison disturbances and escapes also occurred elsewhere, including at facilities in Kashimpur, Sherpur and Satkhira.
The violence was accompanied by the looting of firearms and ammunition from prison facilities, adding to security concerns.
Under Bangladesh’s Jail Code, prison authorities are required to notify police and other relevant agencies following an escape, while both the escape and any subsequent recapture must be formally reported.
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