Indians bombing suspects try jail break

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AHMEDABAD, India, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Like a Hollywood movie plot, a group of Indian bombing suspects were found digging a tunnel some 18 feet long to escape from prison, officials said.

The group, part of the suspects in the 2008 bombings in Ahmedabad, India, had been acting curiously, Sabarmati Central Jail officials told India Today. They had begun gardening around the prison barracks and used the gardens to hide the excess dirt, similar to the plot of the classic 1963 Steve McQueen movie "The Great Escape."

The group's ring leader holds a degree in civil engineering, the Press Trust of India said Tuesday. Security officials are looking into whether the group had help from prison guards. They had assembled various tools and obtained a map of the prison. One official said the group was digging to meet up with a sewer main, through which they would crawl to safety.

The precise number of suspects involved in the escape plot wasn't clear, officials said.

The group is standing trial for allegedly setting off more than 20 bombs around the city July 26, 2008, killing 57 people.