Overview
- Investigators opened a case after the Lunglei court reported missing release records on April 25, which triggered a coordinated search for the freed convicts.
- Police now say they have caught 12 of the 16 men and are tracking three others, while one person died after leaving custody.
- Officials suspect 22-year-old inmate Jeremiah Lalthangtura led the scheme, and he is in police custody for questioning.
- The fake release orders used fabricated seals and near-authentic formatting that passed initial checks because prison staff are not allowed to question court directives.
- A four-member Special Investigation Team led by SDPO R Thankima is probing possible outside accomplices and the procedural gaps that let the forgeries work.