Angul: The district police have swung into action following the escape of an under-trial prisoner from the court premises here Friday . The police formed four special teams to nab the culprit.
Accused of killing four persons, he escaped while being taken into the court room to be produced before the magistrate.
Meanwhile, SP Mitrabhanu Mahapatra suspended eight cops including two constables and six havildars for their negligence while on duty. On the pretext of going to the toilet, the accused, Jhasketan Rout, alias Jharu, went inside a bathroom and did a vanishing act.
The sudden escape of the serial killer has spread fear among the witnesses.
According to the case diary, police exhumed the bodies of two brothers – Jogeswar Sahu (36) and Hirankshya Sahu (32) from a 15-ft deep pit behind Kusakila village school near Jarapada in this district.
Based on a complaint by the family members of the deceased, police arrested Jharu February 12, 2016. During interrogation, he had confessed to the police that he committed the crime. He also confessed to have murdered a woman, Abala Gadnayak (64), and her nephew Kumuda Sahu (28) of Kukurpeta area of Chhendipada in a similar manner and buried the bodies in a pit near the same school.
Since then, he had been in jail as an under-trial. He was to be produced before the court Friday . After hearing the witnesses from the scientific team, polygraph test report, a constable and the father of the deceased Rajkishore Sahu, the court remanded Jharu in jail until further proceedings.
The case was to be heard on Friday but his dramatic escape threw a spanner in the works. What had shocked everyone was his ruse to go to the toilet on the court premises and breaking open its asbestos sheets without being seen and fleeing.
Only after he did not come out for long, the police suspected foul play and broke open the toilet to find him missing. Soon, senior police officials reached the court premises and launched a manhunt.
“We have sealed all the entry and exit points of the district and will arrest the accused soon,” the SP said.
