Recaptured Choudwar jail inmate may be transferred to another prison amid security concerns

Bhubaneswar: A day after Choudwar jail inmate Madhukant Rana, who escaped in Oct 2025, was recaptured, the state prisons directorate is considering transferring him to another prison as officers are reluctant to lodge him there again on security grounds.

Rana and his associate, Raja Sahani, both from Bihar, had been lodged in Choudwar’s high-security cells for allegedly murdering two men during a jewellery shop robbery attempt in Jajpur district in Jan 2025. Initially lodged in Jajpur district jail, they were later moved to Choudwar for enhanced security. On Oct 3, 2025, amid Dussehra festivities inside the prison, the duo escaped from what is supposed to be the state’s most fortified jail.


“As per protocol, Rana should be kept in Choudwar jail since a case was registered against him at Choudwar police station after the jailbreak. However, we will seek the court’s permission to shift him elsewhere on security grounds,” said Biren Sahoo, deputy inspector general (prisons). He said that following the incident, security has been tightened across all prisons to prevent similar attempts.

Rana was eventually tracked down to Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, where he had been working in disguise at a guesthouse. His associate Sahani still remains at large.

Commissionerate police are probing possible collusion by jail staff in the jailbreak. Suspicion of insider involvement grew after former jailer Santoshini Dash and current senior superintendent Sujit Kumar Raula filed complaints against one another, each alleging negligence that may have enabled their escape.

“We will take Rana on remand to determine whether any jail staff assisted him and Sahani. Those who might have assisted them outside the prison would also face legal action. Search operations are continuing to nab Sahani,” said Rishikesh Khilari, DCP (Cuttack).

Investigations revealed the duo cut through iron bars of their single cells and used ropes fashioned from torn blankets to scale the 22-feet perimeter wall.

Police are still trying to ascertain how they obtained tools to saw through the grills undetected. “The escape appears to be meticulously planned over several days, possibly with insider help. Cutting iron bars silently and scaling a wall topped with concertina wire without alerting guards raises serious questions,” another police officer said.

Police said the duo first scaled the 12-ft wall of the high-security enclosure before breaching the 22-ft main boundary wall. Police authorities insisted such an escape would have been impossible without assistance from inside.