"Nine prisoners, including seven convicts serving life imprisonment, escaped from Abdullahpur jail by scaling prison wall with the help of a pipe last night," they said.
Senior officials, including Deputy Inspector General of Police and Divisional Commissioner, have reached the jail and a hunt has been launched to nab the prisoners, they said.
Meanwhile, taking a serious note of the jail break, Uttar Pradesh government has suspended 15 jail staff, including senior officers.
"Senior jail superintendent, deputy jailer, two jail wardens and 11 prison guards have been placed under suspension with immediate effect," a government spokesman said here.
District Magistrate Meerut Bhuvnesh Kumar said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Published 20 July 2010, 08:05 IST