Two alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba militants lodged in Lucknow District Jail gave police the slip at a local court where they were brought for a hearing around Tuesday noon.

Police said the two, arrested on March 26, 2002 on charges of conspiring to attack the disputed structure in Ayodhya, are Pakistani

nationals.

Following the duo’s flight, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajiv Krishna has suspended and ordered arrests of three policemen — Sub Inspector Ram Awadh Ram and two constables who were escorting the militants from jail to the court. The cops have been charged with negligence on duty.

The absconders have been identified as Masood Ahmed and Mohammad Syed, though they are known by many assumed names.

SSP Krishna said the police have formed several teams and launched a massive manhunt to trace the duo.

A Delhi court had earlier awarded death sentence to Masood Ahmed for attacking a CRPF camp in 2001. A constable had died in that attack.

“Both are active members of Lashkar and were in possession of heavy ammunition when they were arrested,” ASP (Special task Force) Rajesh Pandey said. He said police recovered an AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 72 live cartridges, an Internet card, explosives and timer devices from them after the arrest.

According to police, Pakistan currency was also recovered from them.