Four out of six criminals who escaped from Jowai prison yesterday, were lynched by a mob at Shangpung village in West Jaintia Hills.
Among those lynched by the mob, included I Love You Talang who was recently arrested by police in a murder case.
Besides Talang, the dead included Lodestar Tang, Marsanki Tariang and Shidor Dkhar.
Another prisoner Ramesh Dkhar managed to escape.
There was no information about the whereabouts of another escaped prisoner Rikmenlang Lamare.
According to reports, five of the escaped prisoners were hiding at a jungle area near Shangpung College along the boundary of Thadmuthlong and Shangpung.
It was at around 3 pm when Ramesh Dkhar went to a local tea shop to buy food. He was identified by some of the villagers who alerted the entire village and followed him to the spot where the escaped prisoners were hiding.
Soon, a huge crowd from Shangpung, Thadmuthlong and adjoining areas arrived.
Fearing for their lives, the prisoners fled towards a nearby forest but were cornered by the mob.
Angry villagers, armed with sticks, assaulted the four prisoners mercilessly resulting in their death.
Police personnel who arrived at the scene took the bodies to Jowai Civil Hospital for identification.
Reports said that Ramesh Dkhar managed to escape from the mob fury and it is believed that he is hiding in the forest.
Four of the prisoners who were lynched by the mob today were accused of murder. One of them Marsanki Tariang has been convicted by the court for killing his wife by setting her on fire on March 19, 2015.
Among those who escaped, Ramesh Dkhar was also accused of murder while Rikmenlang Lamare was accused of burglary and theft besides other crimes.
