Prison escape: 4 foreign inmates tunel out of Bali’s Kerobokan prison
- 7 years ago
BALI / INDONESIA — Four foreign inmates being held at the notorious Kerobokan prison on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali made a daring escape on June 19 after apparently tunnelling their way to freedom. Two of the men have since been recaptured.
The escapees have been named as Australian Shaun Edward Davidson, locked up for using another man’s passport and forging a visa; Bulgarian Dimitar Nikolev, in prison for money laundering; and Indian Sayed Mohammed and Malaysian Tee Kok King, both convicted of drugs offences.
Indonesian authorities report Nikolaev and Mohammed were recaptured in Dili, East Timor on June 22.
Police say it appears the four escaped through a hole they opened in the ceiling of one of the cells. From there, they entered the septic system via a hole in a tank cover behind a communal toilet. The entry hole measures just 50 by 75 centimetres and the tunnel measures 15 metres to the far side of the outer wall.
The apparent escape hole was found just outside the western wall, in view of a busy street lined with cafes and other businesses.
On examination, police discovered the hole flooded with murky water and feared the men may have drowned.
However, discovery of a headlamp, buckets and other objects suggested success.
It has also been revealed that the tower nearest the escape site was unmanned at the time thanks to a chronic staff shortage.
Kerobokan is one country’s most over populated prisons. It was built to house just over 300 people, but today is home to 1,318.
And at the time of the escape, just 10 guards were on duty.
The escapees have been named as Australian Shaun Edward Davidson, locked up for using another man’s passport and forging a visa; Bulgarian Dimitar Nikolev, in prison for money laundering; and Indian Sayed Mohammed and Malaysian Tee Kok King, both convicted of drugs offences.
Indonesian authorities report Nikolaev and Mohammed were recaptured in Dili, East Timor on June 22.
Police say it appears the four escaped through a hole they opened in the ceiling of one of the cells. From there, they entered the septic system via a hole in a tank cover behind a communal toilet. The entry hole measures just 50 by 75 centimetres and the tunnel measures 15 metres to the far side of the outer wall.
The apparent escape hole was found just outside the western wall, in view of a busy street lined with cafes and other businesses.
On examination, police discovered the hole flooded with murky water and feared the men may have drowned.
However, discovery of a headlamp, buckets and other objects suggested success.
It has also been revealed that the tower nearest the escape site was unmanned at the time thanks to a chronic staff shortage.
Kerobokan is one country’s most over populated prisons. It was built to house just over 300 people, but today is home to 1,318.
And at the time of the escape, just 10 guards were on duty.