Mayurbhanj: In a daring incident, a prisoner serving life sentence escaped from police custody in Panposh area under Bisoi Police limits of Mayurbhanj district on Friday.
The prisoner, Daman Marandi, hails from Tiring town of Mayurbhanj.
According to sources, Daman was sentenced to life prison term for his role in a murder case and had been lodged in Rairangpur sub-jail since 2016.
He is a tuberculosis patient and underwent regular medical check-ups at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College & Hospital (PRMMCH) in Baripada.
On Friday, Marandi was returning to the jail in a van with policemen after a visit to the hospital. En route, Marandi asked the cops to stop the van as he wanted to relieve himself. The driver obliged, but as Marandi did not return after quite some time, the police personnel sensed something amiss.
A search of the nearby area turned out to be futile.
A large team from Bisoi police station went to the spot to search for clues, but didn’t come across any lead. A manhunt is under way to trace the convict.