VARANASI, Oct. 11 -- An inmate released last year allegedly siphoned around Rs.30 lakh from the official bank account of the Divisional Jail, Azamgarh, with the help of a jail official, a watchman, and an accomplice, police said on Saturday. The accused allegedly stole the cheque book on the day of his release. They used forged signatures of the jail superintendent to withdraw money on several occasions.

Four persons, including inmate Ramjeet Yadav alias Sanjay, Shiv Shankar alias Gorakh, jail accounts official Mushir Ahmed, and jail watchman Awadhesh Kumar Pandey, have been taken into custody and are being interrogated.

According to police, Ramjeet Yadav, a resident of Bilariaganj, was lodged in jail on February 24, 2023, in connection...