Cuttack, July 14: A special squad of city police intensified the search for Manoj Jena alias Sania who escaped from a lock-up on Tuesday night.

The squad scouted the Bidanasi housing project area developed by the Cuttack Development Authority, but there were no indications that Sania was there.

"The search for Sania has been intensified. The squad is searching with the help of Lalbag police station and Purighat police station. All the other police stations in the city have also been alerted," assistant commissioner of police Pramod Rath said.

Accused in a series of criminal incidents, Kanhu Jena of Alisha Bazar along with his nephew Sania, allegedly involved in breach of peace in the locality in Lalbag police station limits, were picked up by the special squad on Tuesday. They had firearms with them.

Kanhu was taken into custody and lodged at the lock-up of Purighat police station because he was one of three persons who managed to escape when the police foiled an attempt to loot the municipality petrol pump at Choudhury Bazaar on Monday night. The cops arrested two of the five people who had allegedly hatched a plan to loot the petrol pump.

Sania was taken into custody by the squad on Tuesday evening and kept at the lock-up of CDA-phase II police station.

However, he managed to flee after a few hours when the cops allowed him to go out to urinate. "A departmental inquiry has been initiated in the matter," Rath said.

Two constables were posted on duty to guard him. A diary charge officer was also on night duty. Around 1.30am, Manoj requested the constables to take him outside the lock-up to urinate. At the first, they turned down his request, as there were urinals and latrines inside the lock up, but later he was allowed.

A police officer said Manoj pushed the constables and escaped after urinating. Inspector in charge Dilip Kumar Swain said: "A case under section 224 of IPC has been registered against Sania as he had fled from police custody."