Srinagar, Aug. 24 -- Two inmates booked in separate cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act escaped from the Central Jail here on Sunday after scaling the front-side wall of the high-security prison, officials said.

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, the officials said.

A massive manhunt was launched to trace and apprehend the escaped inmates, they said, adding that further details regarding the circumstances of their escape from the jail were awaited.

The jail is guarded by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) who were deployed to ...