Odisha: Man convicted in drug smuggling case escapes from police custody

The man escaped from police custody from the premises of a court in Bhubaneswar moments after the judge sentenced him in the drug smuggling case

Published on: Jun 26, 2022, 15:36:39 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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This is the second consecutive day that an accused has escaped from police custody in Bhubaneswar

A person convicted in a case of drug smuggling escaped from police custody from the premises of a court in Bhubaneswar on Saturday moments after the judge sentenced him in the case, police said.

Police officials said Bijay Kumar Mania of Balakati area in Khurda district was handed a sentence of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and ₹1 lakh fine in a case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act by the court of additional session judge-III Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

“After the announcement of the court’s verdict, Mania came out with a police escort to be taken in a police van to jail. But he managed to give a slip to the police and escaped from the court premises,” said Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Prateek Singh.

Commissionerate police officials launched a manhunt to trace him. The DCP said Mania will be traced soon.

This is the second consecutive day that an accused has escaped from police custody in Bhubaneswar. On Friday night, an accused managed to give slip to personnel of Nayapalli police station while he was being taken to a court.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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