44 Prisoners Escaped From Odisha Jails In Five Years, 17 Still Absconding
The data placed in the Assembly highlights that undertrial prisoners constitute a significant majority of the total prison population in the state.
Bhubaneswar: A total of 44 prisoners have escaped from various jails across Odisha during the last five years, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the State Assembly on Monday in a written reply.
Providing details on the prison situation in the state, the Chief Minister said Odisha currently has 86 jails housing 18,176 inmates. Among them, 14,040 are undertrial prisoners, while 4,136 are convicts serving sentences after being found guilty by courts.
The data placed in the Assembly highlights that undertrial prisoners constitute a significant majority of the total prison population in the state.
Regarding jail security, the Chief Minister informed that 44 inmates managed to escape from different correctional facilities over the past five years. Out of them, 27 have been re-arrested by law enforcement agencies.
However, 17 prisoners remain absconding, and efforts are continuing to trace and apprehend them, he added.
The disclosure has brought attention to both prison security and the high proportion of undertrial prisoners lodged in correctional institutions across the state.