The fugitive, Madhukant Rana, had scaled the jail wall to escape judicial custody on 3 October last year along with his co-accused, Raja Sahani.
File Photo
A dreaded criminal who had committed a broad daylight murder and looted a jewellery shop in January last year, and later escaped from Choudwar circle jail near Cuttack, was arrested from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh after Odisha police launched a manhunt across multiple states.
The fugitive, Madhukant Rana, had scaled the jail wall to escape judicial custody on 3 October last year along with his co-accused, Raja Sahani.
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He was found living under the pseudonym of Basu Pandey and working as a staff member at a guest house in Vrindavan, Mathura. An undercover member of the special squad was deployed to stay at the guest house as a guest for surveillance, while other personnel in plain clothes kept watch on the premises.
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During the process, the absconding accused escorted the decoy to the allotted room, strengthening suspicion regarding his identity.
The team maintained surveillance to ascertain whether the other escapee was present on the premises and, after confirming his identity through thorough verification, apprehended the accused, Madhukanta Kumar Rana, from the guest house yesterday, where he had been hiding among devotees.
The arrest was effected following due legal procedure and in compliance with the guidelines and provisions of BNSS. The accused was produced before a court in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, and transit remand was sought for his production before the competent court in Cuttack.
Further investigation is underway to ascertain the role of those who may have provided shelter or assistance to the accused during the period he remained at large and to apprehend the other fugitive undertrial prisoner, Raja Sahani.
Initially, only scattered fragments of information were available rather than direct leads, including CCTV footage showing brief movement near the boundary, jail records indicating possible reconnaissance behaviour, and several minor leads emerging from different parts of the country. Multiple teams were constituted simultaneously to monitor different aspects of the investigation and to pursue leads across jurisdictions.
Raids and verifications were carried out in several states, including Nagaland, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, and other parts of the country.
The dreaded criminals frequently changed locations, identities and occupations, avoided electronic traceability and stayed away from expected hideouts.
Despite repeated dead ends and diversions, continuous technical intelligence gathering, human intelligence development and interstate coordination were persistently maintained over several months.
After prolonged surveillance and verification of scattered inputs, reliable intelligence indicated the possible presence of the accused in Uttar Pradesh.
Acting upon the lead, a team from the Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar–Cuttack, proceeded to Vrindavan, Mathura, and, in coordination with Kotwali Police Station, Vrindavan, conducted discreet inquiries at multiple locations.
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