CUTTACK: Even as three days have passed since an inmate, convicted of double murder, escaped from the Athagarh model convict jail in Khuntuni’s Ranibania area, police are yet to make a headway in tracing him.
The fugitive Sunil Jena (30) of Dharmasala area in Jajpur had been transferred to Athagarh model convict jail from the Jajpur jail in April this year.
Sources said Jena fled the prison at around 6.30 am on Thursday but the matter came to the jail staff’s notice at around 1.30 pm when they found him absent during the usual roll call of the inmates. However, instead of immediately lodging a complaint, the jail staff first verbally reported the matter to police at around 3 pm over phone. Later, at around 9 pm the same day, jailor Sudhanshu Behera lodged an FIR with Khuntuni police in this connection.
Khuntuni inspector in-charge (IIC) Jahar Abedin said though they immediately launched a search operation after coming to know of the matter, it was already too late as it had been over nine hours since Jena fled the jail.
Choudwar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Umakant Nayak informed that two special teams have been formed to nab the escaped convict. “After fleeing the jail at around 6.30 am, Jena reached Puri by train at around 11 am. Hence we have formed two police teams of which one is camping in Jajpur, while the other team has launched a manhunt in Puri,” the SDPO said.
Meanwhile, DIG, Prisons and Correctional Services, Anusuya Jena said the Athagarh model convict jail has structural defects which likely facilitated the prisoner to escape. “The administrative building is very close to the perimeter wall due to which the murder convict likely escaped by scaling the window pelmet of the jail,” she said.
The DIG also said that the model convict jail was understaffed by 50 per cent. Around 210 convicts are lodged in 15 wards of the jail. Only 15 warders are available against the required strength of at least 24, she informed.
“The state government has been apprised about the acute shortage of jail employees which has posed a challenge for the existing staff in managing the inmates, majority of whom are hardcore criminals,” the DIG said.
