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Cellmates abetted murder suspect's escape from Moscow prison

Oleg Topalov, 22, a resident of Sochi, apparently escaped in the early hours of Tuesday

MOSCOW, May 8 (Itar-Tass) - The police investigating the Tuesday prison break in Moscow said the escapee has been abetted by his cellmates.

"The case will be handled by the interrogating office of the Interior Ministry's department for Moscow. Under one of the versions, Oleg Topalov's cellmates helped him get away," a city police representative told Itar-Tass.

Earlier reports said the Investigative Committee /SK/ opened criminal proceedings against guards of the Matrosskaya Tishina remand prison after Topalov's escape. The SK noted that the suspect had fled just before his trial.

"The prison break occurred due to improper performance of their duties by prison personnel. Topalov is accused of serious crimes, such as the murder of two persons and weapon trafficking. He escaped just before his trial. At present, investigative actions are underway at the remand prison, aimed at ascertaining all the circumstances of the incident and the identities of the officials whose negligence allowed the defendant to escape," spokesman for the SK department for Moscow Sergei Stukalov told Tass.

Oleg Topalov, 22, a resident of Sochi, apparently escaped in the early hours of Tuesday. His absence was detected as guards were making rounds of cells at 05:00, Moscow time.

Representative of the Moscow department of the Federal Penitentiary Service Sergei Tsygankov said Topalov had escaped through a hole made in the ceiling of the cell. He climbed on the roof of the two-story building and got over the prison fence.

Topalov has been kept in remand prison since October 17, 2011, on charges of involvement in murder.

Prison personnel describe him as "inclined to escapes and mental deviations."