Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: Fresh trouble is brewing for Senior Superintendent of Choudwar Circle Jail in Cuttack district with a former woman inmate filing a police complaint, alleging that her gold ornaments were not returned when she was released on bail.
The woman, identified as Itishree Mohanty of the Mahanga area, lodged the FIR against prison senior superintendent Sujit Kumar Raula at Choudwar police station on Sunday. She accused him of unauthorised possession of her valuables, which she had deposited with jail authorities for safekeeping during her judicial custody.
According to the complaint, Mohanty was arrested in a case on September 22, 2025, and brought to Choudwar Circle Jail the following day. She was wearing gold ornaments, including a set of earrings weighing approximately 6 grams, a gold ring weighing about 8 grams, and a nose ring. Jail officials reportedly instructed her to hand over the items for security reasons, and she complied by depositing them with the prison authorities.
Mohanty was granted bail and released from the jail on December 23, 2025. However, the ornaments were not returned to her at the time of her release. Jail staff allegedly assured her that the jewellery would be handed over later.
Despite repeated follow-ups, she did not receive her belongings.
On January 7, Mohanty contacted Raula directly to inquire about the items. He reportedly promised to return them within 10 days. Subsequently, he claimed the ornaments were still in the possession of former jailor Santoshini Dash, who had been transferred to another prison. The Senior Superintendent allegedly advised Mohanty to file a police complaint against the former jailor.
In her FIR, Mohanty has urged Choudwar police to take immediate action to recover her gold ornaments.
Dismissing the allegations, Raula said, “Former jailer Santoshini Dash had taken the ornaments into her custody. She did not hand them over to us when she was transferred.” Dash, however, refuted the allegation.
The dispute has come amid existing tension between Raula and Dash, who were recently issued show-cause notices by the Prisons Directorate after they filed police complaints against each other, leveling serious allegations including dereliction of duty, forgery of attendance records, and various other administrative lapses, in the aftermath of Choudwar jailbreak incident during Dussehra celebrations in early October 2025. The two Bihar-based hardcore criminals are yet to be nabbed.
