Odisha jail official paid ₹1.9 lakh after inmate’s gold jewellery went missing

Gold jewellery deposited at Choudwar Jail missing on release; ₹1.9 lakh paid to inmate, Odisha prisons department orders investigation

Bhubaneswar: The senior superintendent of an Odisha jail allegedly handed over ₹1.9 lakh in cash to a 32-year-old former inmate after she accused prison officials of procedural violations and misconduct, claiming the gold jewellery she had deposited at the time of admission was missing when she was released from Choudwar Circle Jail in December last year.

(Representative photo)

Itishree Mohanty, a resident of Mahanga in Cuttack district, was lodged at Choudwar Circle Jail in September last year. She had deposited a pair of earrings weighing 6 grams, a ring weighing 8 grams, and a nose pin she was wearing with the jail authorities at the time of admission.

But when Mohanty was released on bail on December 23, the ornaments were not returned. Repeated follow-ups allegedly yielded no result, following which she filed an FIR on February 8 at the Choudwar police station against the jail’s senior superintendent, Sujit Kumar Raula, accusing him of unauthorised possession of her valuables.

Director of prisons Sushant Nath said he has ordered a probe into the missing jewellery. “As per our initial findings, the jailor who was in charge is responsible for the upkeep of the valuables. It seems the jailor did not maintain the register properly,” he said.