A drunken police officer in Zambia, Detective Inspector Titus Phiri, freed 13 suspects from a Lusaka police station on New Year’s Eve, telling them they were “free to cross over into the new year.”

The suspects, accused of assault, robbery, and burglary, are now on the run, and a manhunt is underway.

Phiri reportedly seized the cell keys from a constable before fleeing the scene himself, the BBC has reported.

The incident has drawn comparisons to a 1997 case where a judge controversially released 53 long-detained suspects, citing delayed justice.

Written by B.C. Begley