Nabarangpur: Two persons escaped from a local court here Monday after the judge convicted them for looting an ATM and sentenced them to seven years rigorous imprisonment. The two were among the five who were convicted for the crime. Those who escaped have been identified as Shakil Khan, 21 and Shah Rukh Khan, 27, both natives of Haryana.
Police have formed a team and launched a manhunt to nab them. The incident occurred when the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Additional Sessions Judge, Seema Tripathy was pronouncing the verdict. Both Shakil and Shah Rukh managed to hoodwink the cops on the court premises and fled.
Sources said that the incident dates back to the night of January 31, 2024, when an ATM near the Nabarangpur block office was looted. Fearing arrest, the accused set the ATM on fire. Nabarangpur police registered a case (FIR No. 60/24) and launched an investigation.
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Later, they arrested five persons during probe. The other accused were identified as Nikhil Kumar from Bihar and Jahul Khan and Fauji Khan from Haryana. Shakil and Shah Rukh were released on bail earlier. During Monday’s hearing, however, all five were present in court. CJM Tripathy, pronounced all five guilty and sentenced them to seven years of rigorous imprisonment, and slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 on each of them. That is when the two fled.
