Bhubaneswar: A major breakthrough has been achieved in the Choudwar jailbreak case, with the arrest of Madhukant Kumar, one of the two most wanted criminals who escaped from the state’s largest prison in Cuttack district.
Kumar was arrested by a special team of Odisha Police from a Mutt in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, while the other accused, Raja Sahani, is still at large.
The two Bihar natives had escaped from Choudwar Jail on October 2 last year, taking advantage of the Dussehra celebrations. They had been arrested in January 2025 for looting a jewellery showroom and killing two people in Jajpur district. The police had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to their capture, with confidentiality guaranteed.
The investigation revealed that Kumar and Sahani had cut the iron rods of their cells and jumped over the wall using a rope made from blankets, bedsheets, and clothes. Two jail warders were suspended for dereliction of duty, and a probe is underway to determine if there was any internal collusion.
