The Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s Office, which oversees the overall security of prisons in the Kathmandu Valley, has launched investigation into the alleged involvement of Inspector Rabindra Ranjit in abetting Pasang Sherpa, a jailbird, to escape on Tuesday. Though earlier report said that he had given three police personnel, including a head constable, the slip from the premises of Nepal Eye Hospital, Tripureshwor, a probe panel headed by SSP Suresh Bikram Shah confirmed that Sherpa of Sindhupalchowk had fled from his rented house at Boudha. According to officials, the police personnel who were tasked with the responsibility of taking Sherpa to the hospital for an eye check-up and bringing him back to the Dilli Bazaar Prison had allowed him to go to his room to visit his wife. “Sherpa took the junior cops into confidence and reached his rented accommodation to meet his wife. The jailbird spent more than two hours with his wife while the cops waited for him outside. By the time the police personnel tried to reach him, he had already jumped off the window,” an official informed. Head constable Sikandar Yadav and constables Karan Mahat and Khemraj Pangeni were deputed to take Sherpa to the hospital. They have been suspended and are in police custody for investigation. During interrogation, the trio told police investigators that Inspector Ranjit, security in-charge of the prison, had ordered them to let Sherpa visit his wife. “Based on their explanations, the MPCO has recalled Inspector Ranjit for investigation into his alleged involvement in helping the jailbird escape,” the official said. Inspector Rabin Shrestha has replaced Ranjit as security in-charge of the prison. He said police have launched a manhunt to nab the escapee. Police have also arrested Sherpa’s wife for ‘instigating’ him to flee the jail. Sherpa was convicted of drugs smuggling and was sentenced to 15 years in jail along with a fine of Rs 500,000 in 2012. He was yet to serve 12 years in jail for smuggling heroin. “Police personnel seem to have assisted him to escape by taking bribe. Most of the earlier incidents of such escape were also linked with monetary greed of cops,” the official revealed. The cops, including the security in-charge of the prison, will be liable to a jail term of six to 10 years as per the Prison Act, 1963 if they are convicted of assisting the prisoner to escape. कैदी पासाङ शेर्पाल