Cuttack: The escape of two notorious undertrial prisoners from Odisha’s high-security Choudwar Circle Jail in October last year has escalated into a major administrative and legal controversy, with senior jail officials now accusing each other of serious misconduct, including forgery, negligence, and financial irregularities.
The incident took place October 3, 2025, when Raja Sahani from Lohia Nagar and Madhukant Kumar from Rampur in Bihar, who were arrested on January 4 last year for allegedly committing a robbery at a jewellery shop in Panikoili in Jajpur district and killing two people during the heist, executed a daring breakout. The two inmates exploited the lax security during Dussehra celebrations, and taking advantage of the warders’ and guards’ absence around 1:20 am, they cut through the iron bars of their cells and escaped scaling a 22-foot perimeter wall using ropes fashioned from torn blankets and bedsheets.
The duo managed to evade at least 10 armed guards and a comprehensive CCTV system, and are yet to be nabbed.
The jailbreak, which was detected during the morning inmate count, exposed significant lapses at the facility, prompting immediate action. Two warders were suspended for negligence, and Jailor Santoshini Dash was transferred to Kantabanji Sub-Jail in Balangir district shortly afterward on administrative grounds.
The controversy has now taken a fresh turn with the former jailor filing a complaint seeking registration of an FIR against prison senior superintendent Sujit Kumar Roul, accusing him of forging her signature to shift responsibility. She claimed that the gate entry and exit registers for October 1, 2, and 3, 2025, were forged to falsely show Roul’s presence in the jail on October 2, a day he had officially recorded his absence due to personal work in Khurda.
Choudwar police registered a case against Roul based on her complaint, recorded her statement, and directed jail authorities to produce relevant documents for investigation.
Denied the allegations and calling the complaint baseless, Roul has accused Dash of negligence in supervising the inmates, including allegedly allowing them out of their cells during the celebrations, which he claimed directly contributed to their escape. He further alleged financial irregularities in the jail canteen and dereliction of duty on her part in the lead-up to the incident.
Police have registered a separate case on Roul’s complaint, and are simultaneously investigating both sets of allegations. The CCTV footage from the jail spanning the day of the escape and the preceding period have been seized.
