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Chhattisgarh becomes hotspot of absconding prisoners: Most prisoners escaped, only 2 were caught

Samira Vishwas | May 25, 2026 10:24 AM CST

The latest ‘Prison Statistics India 2024’ report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has raised serious questions on the country’s prison security and police alertness. A detailed analysis of the data of the report shows that the number of criminals escaping from custody by defying law and order is increasing across the country. During the year 2024, a total of 178 prisoners escaped across India, out of which the police could bring only 85 criminals back behind the bars. While 93 are still absconding. That means the recovery rate at the national level has been only 47.75 percent.

In this entire national scenario, Chhattisgarh state has emerged as the worst performer in terms of security lapses and poor tracking. Chhattisgarh has become the biggest hotspot of absconding prisoners across the country, where the maximum number of 19 prisoners escaped by breaking the security cordon in the year 2024. The most shameful thing is that the state police was successful in capturing only two absconding criminals. Due to this lowest recovery rate of just 10.53 percent, big question marks are being raised on the law and order and police system of tracking criminals in Chhattisgarh.

According to NCRB data, out of 178 prisoners across the country, 39 escaped from inside the jail, while 74 accused escaped outside the jail i.e. during court appearance, hospital or transit. Whereas 65 accused escaped from police custody.

Which state has the maximum number of absconding prisoners?

According to the report, Chhattisgarh topped the country in the cases of absconding prisoners, where a total of 19 accused and prisoners escaped from judicial or police custody. After this, 17 abscondions were registered in West Bengal and 16 in Bihar. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, 14 prisoners each escaped, while in Uttar Pradesh the number was 11. Whereas 10-10 cases of absconding were reported in Rajasthan and Odisha.

Zero escaped prisoners in which state/UT?

Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim are the states where not a single case of escape from custody was registered in 2024. Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep are the Union Territories where no such absconding case has been reported.