A suspected illegal gold mining ringleader escaped from custody with help from police officers about a week after resurfacing from a disused mine in South Africa where 246 survivors were rescued and 78 bodies were retrieved last week, authorities said Monday.
Police said that the suspect, identified as Lesotho national James Neo Tshoaeli, was among the miners who resurfaced but was never booked by officers at police stations where survivors were taken. An investigation was underway into who helped him flee.
