Bhubaneswar: The warder of Choudwar Circle Jail was arrested today by Choudwar Police in connection with the missing of gold ornaments belonging to a woman prisoner. According to police, the accused warder Manoj Mandal was taken into custody based on concrete evidence gathered during the investigation at Choudwar Police Station.
CCTV footage reportedly showed Mandal carrying the jewellery, which he allegedly failed to return despite being entrusted with it for safekeeping. The victim, Itishree Mohanty, a resident of Mahanga in Cuttack district, was lodged in Choudwar Circle Jail in September 2025 in connection with a criminal case.
At the time of her admission, she had deposited her valuables with jail authorities for safety: a pair of gold earrings weighing 6 grams, a gold ring weighing 8 grams, and a nose pin. Mohanty was released on bail on December 23, 2025. However, when she asked for her ornaments back, they were not returned despite repeated follow-ups.
On February 8, 2026, she filed an FIR at Choudwar Police Station against the then Senior Superintendent of the jail, Sujit Kumar Raula, accusing him of unauthorised possession of her valuables.
Further investigation revealed that Mohanty had handed over her jewellery to a female jailer, who in turn gave it to Warder Manoj Mandal for safekeeping. CCTV evidence later confirmed that Mandal was seen with the ornaments, but he allegedly did not return them.
The case has taken a new turn with Mandal’s arrest today. It is also learnt that the incident surfaced amid internal tensions at the jail.
To suppress the issue, the superintendent allegedly called her, returned ornaments worth lakhs of rupees, and had her read a letter — an action that ultimately brought the entire episode to light. Earlier, in February 2026, Superintendent Sujit Kumar Raula had paid Rs 1.9 lakh as compensation to Mohanty for the missing jewellery, after which she reportedly withdrew her initial complaint against him.
