Two Hardcore Criminals Escape From Odisha’s Choudwar Jail Amid Dussehra Festivities

The fugitives were identified as Raja Sahani and Chandrakant Kumar, both residents of Bihar. Sources said the duo cut through their cell and fled around 1 am after finding no warder on duty.

Soon after the incident, Odisha DG Prisons and the IIC of Choudwar police station rushed to the jail. An internal inquiry was ordered to determine how the prisoners managed to breach their cell and scale the boundary wall. Investigators are also probing the possibility of external assistance in the jailbreak.

Sahani and Kumar were arrested on January 4 for their involvement in a sensational robbery at Panda Jewellery in Jajpur’s Panikoili. During the heist, they allegedly opened fire inside the shop, killing two people. Locals had overpowered them and handed them over to the police.

This is not the first time Choudwar jail has faced security breaches. In the past, several under-trial prisoners have fled custody during treatment, while others have committed suicide inside the facility.

No official comment was made by jail authorities till this report was filed. The incident has once again sparked concerns over lax security and poor supervision in Odisha’s prisons.