A total of 709 prisoners who had escaped from prisons before completing their sentences have not been re-arrested, according to a recent report released by the National Audit Office.

The audit report, included in the Department of Prisons’ 2025 Annual Report, has revealed a number of irregularities and illegal activities within the country’s prison system.

According to the report, a total of 1,181 inmates escaped from prisons or prison custody before completing their sentences over the past six years, of whom 709 have not been re-arrested.

The National Audit Office report has warned that allowing escaped prisoners to remain free without being apprehended again could pose a threat to public security.

Meanwhile, the officials found that 5,083 mobile phones had been seized from inside 22 prisons within the year 2025, the report revealed. 

In addition, prison authorities had recovered 2,432 mobile phone batteries, 970 phone chargers, 4,149 SIM cards and 3,111 other accessories in prisons during the year under review, according to the report issued by the National Audit Office.

The National Audit Office has recommended that formal measures be taken to prevent such devices from reaching prisoners, warning that their increasing availability could contribute to illegal activities and underworld operations, thereby posing a threat to public security.

The report also revealed that 825 prisoners were detained at the Welikada Prison’s Female Ward in 2025 alone.

It further noted that the increasing number of prisoners and suspects detained at Magazine Prison and Colombo Remand Prison has resulted in inadequate facilities, creating difficulties for both prison officers and inmates.

According to the audit report, congestion could be reduced by improving facilities at Mahara Prison and the Watareka Open Prison Camp, transferring inmates from the Welikada Prison’s Female Ward to Watareka Open Prison Camp, and transferring suspects to Mahara Prison.