What was supposed to be a routine hospital visit for five inmates from the Jaipur Central Jail turned into an impromptu city tour with poha breakfasts, hotel stays and reunions with wives and girlfriends.

A total of 13 people, including five constables, four inmates and four relatives, were arrested on Sunday, 25 May, after it came to the fore that the inmates had allegedly paid bribes to enjoy a few hours of freedom outside the jail, the police said on Monday, 26 May.

The four inmates — Rafiq Bakri, Bhanwar Lal, Ankit Bansal and Karan Gupta — had allegedly secured approvals for medical checkups at the SMS Hospital.

But instead of heading to their appointments, they allegedly bribed their way for a leisurely day out in the city and only one prisoner made it to the hospital, the police said.

None of the four returned to the jail by the 5:30 p.m. deadline on Saturday.

"This outing was arranged for around Rs 25,000, routed through a middleman. The escorting constables were promised Rs 5,000 each," said a senior officer involved in the investigation.

Rafiq and Bhanwar met their wife and ex-girlfriend, respectively, at a Jalupura hotel, where Rafiq's wife was later found with narcotics and was booked under the NDPS Act, DCP (East) Tejaswani Gautam said.

Ankit and Karan were tracked to a hotel near the airport, where they were seen having poha for breakfast. The room was booked by Ankit's girlfriend.

Later, the police detained Karan's relative carrying Rs 45,000 in cash at one of the hotels, along with several inmate ID cards.

Jail sources said that the outing was masterminded by a convicted extortionist still operating from inside the prison.

Investigators say that over 200 phone calls intercepted since April reveal a deeper network of bribes, unauthorised mobile use and alleged threats to VIPs, including chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

A case has been registered at the Sawai Man Singh Police Station, while an investigation and search has been initiated at the Jaipur Central Jail, the police stated.