Juveniles go on rampage,burst cylinders before escaping home

Police said the inmates broke doors and windows,and exploded 15 cooking gas cylinders in the kitchen. They used towels and mattresses to scale the barbed wires on the 15-ft high boundary walls of the correction home. The 21 guards watched helplessly as the inmates threw stones and bricks at them,and threatened them with rods and glass shards,police claimed.

Kumar said furniture,documents,an AC and phone sets were destroyed in the fire resulting from the vandalism. According to him,the inmates broke into his office and took away Rs 40,000. He was not present at the centre when the vandalism took place.

Though more than 100 police personnel were sent to the place later,Kumar said he did not allow them inside as he feared a lathicharge.

The observation home houses 128 juveniles,in the 16-18 age group. Police said on August 8,a dozen juveniles were shifted to the observation home from another correction home after they created a ruckus there and claimed they started the trouble on Saturday.

Police said those absconding had cases under the Arms Act,dacoity,murder and robbery registered against them. According to police,four juveniles are repeat offenders and have escaped from different observation homes in the past. Kumar said several inmates of the home had escaped on June 25,July 2 and October 13 in 2010 while three inmates escaped on August 28 this year.