Cuttack: Shubham alias Raja Sahani, a close aide of Bihar-based gangster Puloo Singh and a high-profile escapee from Choudwar Circle Jail, has been shifted to Berhampur Circle Jail under tight security, police said on Friday.
The transfer was carried out citing security concerns following Sahani’s dramatic escape from Choudwar jail on October 2, 2025, along with another inmate. Officials said intelligence inputs had indicated potential threats from his associates, prompting heightened vigilance and relocation.
According to police sources, multiple teams of the Cuttack Commissionerate Police had been deployed across several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand, to track Sahani. During the operation, intelligence agencies also alerted that the Puloo Singh gang was planning to target police teams to derail the manhunt. The alert enabled forces to avert a possible major incident.
After his escape, Sahani reportedly travelled extensively across the country, using the alias “Kamlesh Pandey” and a forged Aadhaar identity to evade arrest. He avoided using mobile phones to prevent digital tracking. Police said he was involved in multiple crimes during this period, including attempted robberies in Visakhapatnam and a major jewellery heist worth around ₹10 crore in Mysore’s Hunsur area on December 28, 2025. In total, 28 criminal cases are registered against him in different states.
Investigators said Sahani had taken refuge in Rishikesh, where he was allegedly attempting to “wash away his sins.” Acting on specific inputs, a team led by Sub-Inspector Shankarshan Pradhan of Lalbagh police station, with support from local police, tracked him down near Nataraj Chowk and apprehended him.
Following his arrest, Sahani was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Dehradun and brought to Cuttack on transit remand. Police officials confirmed that coordinated efforts by the Bihar STF, Uttar Pradesh Police, and Uttarakhand Police were instrumental in the successful operation.
Senior officers, including Director General of Police Y.B. Khurania and Police Commissioner S. Devdatta Singh, closely monitored the interstate operation.
