An undertrial escaped from Bengaluru central prison on Tuesday morning by hiding himself in a van transporting vegetables.

30-year-old David Kumar was arrested for burglary, theft and dacoity in 2013 and was nearing the end of his 4-year jail term, reports say.

The New Indian Express reports that the van carrying vegetables entered the prison at Parappana Agrahara at 8 am on Tuesday morning and was parked outside the kitchen. According to prison rules, undertrials are allowed access to kitchen for refreshments. David managed to sneak out of the kitchen and hide himself in the van before it left the premises by 8 45 am.

Reports say that the matter came to the officer’s notice only in the evening during routine roll call for prisoners. When David was nowhere to be found in the premises, the prison officials alerted senior officers, and CCTV footage was examined.

The footage showed David sneaking into the van, and jumping out of it when the driver stopped the van outside the prison gate.

Prison department DIG Veerabhadra Swamy told Deccan Herald that the guards were callous and did not check the van before it left the prison, as it comes every day.

“Senior police officers visited the prison and gathered details. A few staffers and inmates were questioned. The prison has a two-tier security checking system. But the guards have failed to check the van as it comes every day. The guards were callous. If they had checked the van, David wouldn’t have escaped. An internal enquiry has been ordered and a report will be submitted to H N Satyanarayana Rao, DGP, Prisons department. Officials found guilty will be suspended,” he was quoted as saying.

David has been booked for escaping lawful custody under sections 224 and 225 of IPC.