Choudwar Jail Superintendent Sujit Kumar Raula arrested

20 Sep 2026, 16:21 by Subadh Nayak · KalingaTV

Kataka: Choudwar police arrested Choudwar Jail Superintendent Sujit Kumar Roul, who is accused of manipulating prison records and forging a former jailor’s signature by misusing the power of his post.

It is to be noted here that the Orissa High Court had granted him interim protection on March 23 this year. However, it earlier this month refused to extend the interim protection further. Following which, Choudwar police arrested him today.

The Choudwar Jail Superintendent landed in trouble when former jailor Santoshini Das lodged an FIR against him after two under-trial murder accused, Raja Sahani from Lohia Nagar and Madhukant Kumar from Rampur of Bihar, escaped from the jail on October 2 last year.

Raja Sahani and Madhukant Kumar were arrested on January 4, 2025, while they were attempting to loot a jewellery shop in Panikoili in Jajpur district. After some alert local residents thwarted their robbery attempt, the accused persons along with two others opened fire in their bid to escape from the spot. Following the firing two people died on the spot.

While the locals managed to nab Raja Sahani and Madhukant Kumar, two others managed to flee. On being informed, Panikoili police reached the spot and arrested Raja and Madhukant. Later, they were lodged at the Ragadi sub-jail of Jajpur district. However, both the undertrial prisoners were shifted to Choudwar Jail a few months back for security reasons but they escaped from the jail on October 2 last year.

After the UTPs escaped, former jailor Santoshini Das lodged a complaint against Choudwar Jail Superintendent Sujit Kumar Raula. She alleged that Raula was absent from duty without authorisation and reported back only after Raja Sahani and Madhukant Kumar escaped from the prison.

She further claimed that the CCTV footage revealed that on October 2, the Superintendent visited the jail for only one hour in the morning before leaving; however, office records indicated he was present from morning until evening. An investigation into this unauthorized absence revealed that he had forged the Jailor’s signature and, acting on the Jailor’s advice, claimed to have gone to Khordha on leave. Santoshini questioned the discrepancy: if CCTV footage showed him in the jail for only one hour—and the investigation confirmed he had gone to Khordha—how did the office entry-exit register record his presence until the evening?

After she lodged a written complaint at the Choudwar Police Station, demanding an immediate investigation and appropriate action against Raula, he moved the High Court and got the interim protection. But later the court denied to extend it further paving ways for Choudwar police to arrest him.