The aerial surveillance and road blocks mounted here yesterday were part of a crime-prevention programme and had nothing to do with Indonesian convicts who escaped during a prison riot in Medan recently.

Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said there was a rumour circulating that some of the Indonesian prisoners had fled to Kuching, based on the road blocks mounted and aerial surveillance by helicopters from the police air wing yesterday.

"For the public's information, this was part of the crime-prevention exercise jointly carried out by the Kuching district police headquarters and state police headquarters," he said, here, last night.