The police in Zambia have disclosed that one of its officers, Detective inspector Titus Phiri, has been arrested for freeing 13 suspects from the Leonard Cheelo police station in Lusaka, the BBC reports.

According to the police, the officer who was under the influence of alcohol, was said to have freed the suspects from custody, to allow them celebrate the New Year, before he also ran away.

Spokesperson for the police, Rae Hamoonga said the erring officer was “in a state of intoxication, forcibly seized cell keys from Constable Serah Banda on New Year’s Eve. Subsequently, detective inspector Phiri unlocked both the male and female cells and instructed the suspects to leave, stating they were free to cross over into the new year.

“Out of the 15 suspects in custody, 13 escaped. Following the incident, the officer fled the scene,” said Mr Hamoonga.

The illegally freed suspects facing allegations of assault, robbery and burglary, were currently on the run while the police had launched a manhunt for them.