Undertrial prisoner escapes police custody in Karachi

An undertrial prisoner accused of kidnapping two women in 2019 has escaped from Karachi Police's custody after he was taken for shopping while returning from a court hearing, officials said on Sunday.

The two policemen accompanying accused Zohaib Ali Qureshi have been suspended, they said.

The kidnapping case was filed in 2019 after a make-up artist and a blogger were abducted by a gang from Defence Colony in Karachi.

Officials said while returning from a court hearing to the Central Jail here on Friday, the accused asked his custodian policemen to allow him to do some shopping.

Zohaib was taken to a mall on Tariq Road from where he managed to flee.

The accompanying officials are being investigated as the main accused in Zohaib's escape. Further probe is underway.