Bhubaneswar, February 18 The superintendent of a prison in Odisha's Cuttack district paid Rs 1.9 lakh to a female inmate after gold jewelry, deposited during admission, was found missing, an official said on Wednesday.
The woman from the Mahanga area in Cuttack district had deposited the jewelry with the jail authorities when she was admitted to the prison on September 23 last year. She was released on bail on December 23, but did not recover the jewelry, as it was nowhere to be found.
Nearly six weeks later, on February 8, she approached the local police station and filed a complaint against the senior superintendent of the jail, Sujit Kumar Raula, alleging unauthorized possession of her valuables.
Later, the superintendent paid the woman Rs 1.9 lakh as compensation for the missing jewelry, a move that officials said is not in line with the provisions of the Jail Manual. After receiving the money, the woman withdrew her complaint.
Director General of Prisons Sushant Nath said he has ordered an inquiry into the incident to ascertain how the jewelry went missing and under what circumstances the compensation was paid.