Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police has announced cash reward for anyone providing information on the two undertrial prisoners (UTPs) who escaped from Choudwar Circle Jail last night.

The cops have appealed to the public to provide information on the whereabouts of the two UTPs, who have escaped from the jail.

A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for anyone providing credible information on the two escapees, both the natives of Bihar, leading to their arrest.

The cops have assured that the identity of the informant will remain strictly confidential.

They have issued two phone numbers (9437148168 & 9338025119) while seeking information on the two escapees, identified as Raja Sahani of Lohia Nagar under Muffasil police limits in Begusarai district and Madhukanta Kumar of Rampur under Gaura police limits in Sarana district of Bihar.

The duo had been arrested in connection with a murder case in Panikoili area of Odisha’s Jajpur district. They had been initially lodged in a jail in Jajpur and later shifted to Choudwar Circle Jail in Cuttack district.  

They managed to escape the jail by cutting the bars of the cell around 1 am last night. They had earlier made multiple attempts to flee the jail but failed, reports said.

The authorities of Choudwar Circle Jail, meanwhile, have suspended two warders—Bhagat Ram and Siddhant Sahu—for dereliction of duty soon after the incident.