Women help cops rearrest murder convict hrs after jailbreak

Itanagar: In an exemplary display of community cooperation, women of Nikja village in Arunachal’s Kurung Kumey district helped police on Wednesday in rearresting a murder convict, who had escaped from Koloriang sub-jail on Tuesday.Convicted in 2014, Birju Bhumij escaped from the jail at around 7pm on Tuesday evening, after the guard allowed him to get warm water from the kitchen due to fever.Jail Superintendent David Koyu said the incident came to light on Wednesday morning, prompting a massive manhunt.The official said that while Bhumij gave the slip due to a lapse in security, he was rearrested hours later, after women from Nikja village, around 2km from Koloriang, identified him owing to his distinct one-eyed appearance.Koyu said the women were going to the fields, when they spotted Bhumij and immediately alerted the authorities, adding that the latter, a resident of Assam’s Sonitpur district, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being charged under Section 302 of IPC.Meanwhile, Kurung Kumey deputy commissioner Cheechung Chukhu praised the women for their alertness and cooperation. “This is exactly the kind of partnership that makes communities safer,” a district official said.