Bhubaneswar: A man who was an accused in a theft case managed to give the slip to cops at a place under Balipatana police limits on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, last night. The incident came to the fore today after police failed to nab the absconder despite a manhunt launched yesterday.

According to a source, the fugitive was involved in a theft that was conducted at Jhinti locality. He was identified and brought to Balipatana PS for interrogation. A probe team of Commissionerate Police-Bhubaneswar had taken the accused to the spot earlier in the day to recover the stolen goods when the accused fled from the spot taking advantage of alleged security lapses, the source added.

Subsequently, separate teams of police were formed to nab the accused but to no avail. Raids on different locations are still underway.