Mar 11, 2008 (DVB), Seven people who were being held at South Dagon township police station in Rangoon after being arrested for theft have reportedly been recaptured after escaping early this morning.

They managed to escape in the early hours of the morning by making a hole in the wall of the police cell where they were being held, a local resident said.

"The seven inmates escaped from their prison cell at around 2.30am by making a hole in the wall of the cell," the resident said.

"The policemen are now hunting them down and tracing their close relatives and friends, and also searching at bus stops and public transportation terminals."

An officer on duty at South Dagon police station told DVB that the men have now been recaptured in the township, but would not give any further details of how they had managed to escape.

"We managed to capture them not very long after they made their escape, but I can't say much more than that as there are senior officials in the station now," the officer said.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw