LUCKNOW, Sept. 2 -- A sudden downpour and a mechanical failure created a tense security situation on Sultanpur Road on Monday night after a police van transporting roughly 30 prisoners broke down near Khurdahi Bazaar in Sushant Golf City. The incident happened around 7:35pm when the inmates were being taken to the district jail in Gosainganj after a hearing in a Lucknow court. An hour later, another prison van was rerouted to the spot. Under heavy security, all inmates were safely transferred to the second vehicle and transported to the jail without any security breaches The first van broke down on the busy road just as heavy rain began lashing the area, leaving the policemen with the immediate task of securing the vehicle and ensuring that none of the inmates was allowed to leave it. Traffic on the Sultanpur Road was also severely affected as the disabled van remained stuck on the main carriageway. With the rain intensifying and the vehicle unable to move, the prisoners remained inside for a considerable period while police worked to arrange a replacement. "Police reached the spot soon after being alerted and created a security cordon around the van. The vehicle was eventually towed to the roadside to clear the carriageway and ease the traffic congestion," said ADCP (south) Vasanth Rallapalli. A replacement van was dispatched from police lines and arrived about an hour later. Prisoners, who were already restrained with a rope, were shifted to the other vehicle, said the ADCP, adding that a team of five policemen was deployed during the operation. HTC...