Ranchi, Sep 22 - Seven prisoners, including a Maoist commander, escaped from a court lockup from Jharkhand's Khuti district Tuesday evening, police said.

Around 20 prisoners were brought to the court premises for hearing in different cases and seven broke the window panes of the lockup and managed to escape, taking advantage of the heavy rainfall in the district.

According to a police official, the policemen responsible for security were trying to shelter from the rainfall and the seven took advantage of this to escape.

The Maoist commander who managed to escape faces charges of murder and other serious crimes.

Police have launched operations to re-arrest the escaped prisoners.