A group of 10 detainees fled Sunday morning from a detention center in the Makossa district, in Manica, in central Mozambique, a Mozambican police source told Lusa on Monday.
“They took advantage of a moment of personal hygiene and escape from the cells around 9:00 am (8:00 am in Lisbon) in the morning,” said Mateus Mindu, a spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM). in Manica.
According to the same source, the group escaped from cells normally holding defendants who are due to be taken to the State Ministry, in an area where the National Prison Service (Sernap) is facing a number of restrictions, according to police.
“Out of 10 escaped citizens, two citizens were able to return to their cells,” the spokesman said.
Ten of those arrested are charged with various crimes, including theft, poaching, desecration of graves, illegal trafficking, consumption and sale of drugs.
Police said they were working with other police units to locate and arrest the remaining eight fugitives.