The superintendent of a jail in Odisha was arrested on Sunday over allegations of forging official records after two murder accused escaped from prison last year.
Choudwar jail superintendent Sujit Kumar Roul was arrested months after former jailer Santoshini Das accused him of tampering with government records, forging her signature in the jail’s minute book and manipulating duty records to conceal his absence when the prisoners escaped, police officials said.
Das had earlier lodged a first information report (FIR) at Choudwar police station alleging that Raul had remained absent from duty without authorisation around the time of the jailbreak and later attempted to create records showing that he was present in the prison.
The arrest came after the Orissa High Court rejected Roul’s anticipatory bail plea and withdrew interim protection against arrest in the case of escape of two undertrial prisoners, Raja Sahani and Madhukant Kumar, from Choudwar Circle Jail on October 3 last year. On January 4, last year Sahani and Kumar were allegedly attempting to rob a jewellery store in Panikoili when local residents confronted them. The case stems from the escape of Sahani and Kumar, who had been lodged in Choudwar jail after their arrest in connection with a fatal robbery attempt in Panikoili area of Jajpur district. The accused allegedly opened fire while trying to escape, killing two people, Neelamadhab Panda and Anil Ray.
