Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, Odisha Police on Saturday arrested one of the two inmates who had escaped from the Choudwar Circle Jail in Cuttack district last year.
The undertrial prisoner, identified as Madhukanta Kumar, who escaped from the high-security jail on October 2 last year along with another inmate, was arrested from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh.
A special team from the state apprehended Kumar from a mutt at Virndavan after sustained effort, Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania said.
Kumar and another UTP Raja Sahani, both natives of Bihar, had escaped from the jail in the night hours of October 2.
Kumar of Rampur under Gaura police limits in Sarana district and Sahani of Lohia Nagar under Muffasil police limits in Begusarai district managed to escape the jail by cutting the bars of the cell, reports said.
The two had been arrested in connection with a murder case in Panikoili area of Jajpur district. They had been initially lodged in a jail in Jajpur and later shifted to Choudwar Circle Jail.
Following the incident, the jail authorities had suspended two warders—Bhagat Ram and Siddhant Sahu—for dereliction of duty. Jailor Santoshini Dash had been transferred and posted to Kantabanji Sub-Jail in Balanagir a few days after the incident.
The Odisha Police had announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone providing credible information on the two prisoners.
Police said coordinated efforts are continuing to nab the second fugitive. Combing operations have been intensified at various suspected hideouts, and security measures have been tightened to prevent any further such incidents.