The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to seek assistance from the Centre and the Interpol to trace the two Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists who had escaped from police custody on Tuesday.

Secretary (Home) R M Srivastava told UNI the state government would shortly write to the Union government seeking help to contact Interpol trace the duo. The CBI is the nodal agency to deal with the Interpol.

The two POTA detainees -- Maksood Ahmed and Mohammad Syed Alaib Majhain -- had escaped from the district court on February 27 afternoon, brandishing pistols hidden for them in the public toilet.

Incidentally, the two were brought to the court in an ambulance without handcuffs. Three juvenile undertrials were brought to the same court in handcuffs with at least seven cops in tow.

Meanwhile, the UP police has informed Shashastra Seema Bal and Border Security Force and handed them with the photographs of the two Pakistani nationals. While SSB looks after the Indo-Nepal border, the BSF is deployed largely on the porous Indo-Bangladesh border.

The two LeT terrorists were behind the 2001 attack on a CRPF camp at Jharoda Kalan in Delhi in which one CRPF constable was killed.

According to eyewitnesses, the terrorists flashed the pistol and fired in the air. They first ran to the nearby Balrampur hospital and then towards the city railway station.

The two LeT modules were arrested by the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police on March 26, 2002, under Ghazipur police station. An AK-47 assault rifle and a huge quantity of RDX were recovered from them.

One of the terrorists, Maksood, had been sentenced to death by a Delhi court in the CRPF camp attack.

Meanwhile, the sessions court has issued non-bailable warrants against the absconding terrorists and listed the case for next hearing on March 19.

Earlier, Mohd Syed had petitioned, he would never try to escape and as such should not be handcuffed in court. However, his plea was dismissed on January 10, 2005 and the high court had ordered the duo be brought under tight security for hearings.

A reward of Rs 1 lakh each has been announced on the two terrorists.

Sub-inspector in charge of the three-member police escort Ram Awadh Ram is also being questioned for his alleged role in failing to catch the duo.

S-I Ram Awadh Ram had not taken pistol/revolver from the Reserve Police Lines despite being authorised for the same.

A pistol/revolver is always considered a better weapon in case of chases. One of the constables -- a probationer -- did fire a shot from his bolt action rifle, but missed.

''It is easy to run with a pistol in a crowded area and take a precise aim,'' explained a senior official.