KUANTAN: The 13 inmates who escaped from the Gambang Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (Puspen) early today have been caught in less than 24 hours after the incident.
Their short-lived freedom came to an end when one of the inmates was found by a family member and returned to the centre by his uncle at 3pm.
Based on information gathered from there on, the Op Kesan team comprising police, Puspen and the National Anti-Drug Agency detected the other 12 inmates within the next hour.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Noor Yusof Ali said the male inmates aged between 19 and 25 were found hiding in the bushes near Papan Tong Song factory at Batu 8, Jaya Gading.
All inmates were then brought back to Puspen for further action.
Earlier, Mohamad Noor said the officers realised the inmates had gone missing during a roll call at their hostel about 5.30am today. Further checks revealed that the group may have had escaped at about 2am.
He said the inmates had used polystyrene boards to sketch their escape plan which showed the location of their hostel, fenced area and the route they would take on foot.
“Checks revealed that one of the inmates, who was brought to Puspen on Sept 18 this year, was the mastermind and also escaped with the others," said Mohamad Noor, adding that Op Kesan was mounted after authorities were notified of the case.
Mohamad Noor said in addition to deploying officers to search various parts of the state capital, the police motorcycle patrol unit, mobile patrol vehicle and Traffic Enforcement and Investigation departments were also roped in to assist in the search.
There are 167 inmates aged between 18 and 25 in the Puspen facility in Gambang. These inmates are undergoing rehabilitation under Section 6(1)(a) of the Drugs Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983.
In 2016, five inmates from Puspen Gambang escaped while engaging in routine recreational activity about 6pm before they were arrested at various locations, including one at his family home here.