Bhubaneswar: Odisha police on Friday announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information on two undertrial prisoners (UTPs), who escaped from the high-security Choudwar circle jail in Odisha’s Cuttack district by scaling the boundary wall.
The incident took place when the staff and prisoners were celebrating Dussehra late on Thursday.
The UTPs, Raja Sahani and Chandrakant Kumar, both residents of Bihar, were arrested for looting a jewellery shop and the murder of two persons in Jajpur district in January. Identified as high-risk escapees with a history of jailbreak attempts, they were transferred from Jajpur jail to Choudwar just days earlier for tighter containment.
The police have appealed to the public to assist in tracing and capturing the duo. The identity of the informant will remain strictly confidential, the post added.
Earlier in the day, Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) Susanta Kumar Nath visited the jail and reviewed the circumstances under which the inmates escaped. He found that the iron rods of the prisoners’ cells were cut before they scaled the boundary wall using a blanket as rope.
A chief warder and a warder of the jail were also suspended for negligence in duty. “A case has been registered at Choudwar police station and DIG central range has been entrusted with the investigation to ascertain whether they had the support of jail staff or external help,” he told reporters.