JEYPORE: The authorities of Jeypore special jail in Koraput district solemnised the marriage of two under-trial prisoners inside the prison premises on Sunday.
The marriage of Nrusingha Prasad Khamari (28) and Nibedita Tarai (24) was conducted according to Hindu rituals in the presence of their family members, jail officials and police personnel. A community feast was also arranged for the families of the couple, prison staff, inmates and other guests.
Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, who attended the ceremony as the chief guest, blessed the newly-married couple and appreciated the jail administration’s reform-oriented approach towards under-trial inmates.
Jail superintendent Santosh Kumar Pattnaik said the marriage was organised after securing approval from the special Vigilance court, district administration and higher prison authorities. “Such reformative initiatives can help the couple lead a responsible and law-abiding life after their release,” he said.
Jail officials said before their arrest, the couple had completed their engagement and were living together in Khurda. However, they were arrested by the Odisha Vigilance in May in connection with an alleged financial fraud involving the Koraput Central Cooperative Bank.
The case relates to the alleged embezzlement of Rs 1.08 crore collected as farmers’ loan repayments from different LAMPS in Malkangiri district. According to police, the then manager of Koraput Central Cooperative Bank had fraudulently transferred around Rs 63 lakh to 12 bank accounts belonging to Khamari and Tarai.
Acting on digital and mobile phone tracking, Vigilance officials arrested the couple from Khurda on May 7 and produced them before the special Vigilance court at Jeypore, which remanded them in judicial custody.
Officials said the couple also faces cheating cases registered in Bengaluru and several police stations across Odisha.
