Two inmates, Farman Khan and Mukhtar Ahmed Gujar, who were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, escaped from the Central Jail in Srinagar on Sunday, August 23, 2026. According to officials, the inmates scaled the front-side wall of the high-security prison to make their escape. The escaped inmates have been identified as Farman Khan, a resident of Sadanpora, Rajasthan, and Mukhtar Ahmed Gujar, a resident of Sanglan Chittergul in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
A massive manhunt has been launched to trace and apprehend the escaped inmates. Further details regarding the circumstances of their escape from the jail are awaited. The Central Jail in Srinagar is a high-security prison guarded by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The CISF was deployed to provide an armed cover to the facility in October 2023, along with the Central Jail in Jammu. The force is responsible for securing both the inner and outer perimeters of these sensitive facilities through a combination of trained manpower, modern surveillance systems, and access control measures. According to officials, Farman Khan was lodged in the Srinagar jail on June 23 in connection with an FIR registered against him at Lar police station in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district under various sections of the BNS and sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act.
Similarly, Mukhtar Ahmed Gujar was lodged in the jail on April 13 in connection with a separate FIR registered at Srinagar’s Soura police station under various sections of the BNS and sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act. The police have issued a wanted notice for the two escapees and announced a reward for information leading to their arrest. The public has been urged to share any information that could help trace or apprehend the two men by contacting the nearest police station or dialling 112.
