Two months after a convicted inmate vanished from a supervised funeral visit in Melbourne, Australian authorities have turned to the public for fresh tips, releasing new closed-circuit television footage in a bid to reignite the stagnating manhunt.
Forty-seven-year-old Orijol Rukaj has not been spotted by law enforcement since he slipped away undetected mid-service on April 25, when he was granted temporary, supervised release from custody to attend a funeral at Keilor East Cemetery in Melbourne’s northwestern suburbs.
After eight weeks of intensive searches across the state that yielded no confirmed sightings, Victoria Police have announced a new push for public assistance, publishing additional CCTV clips captured inside the correctional facility that show Rukaj at multiple timepoints. Investigators hope the newly released images will jog the memory of members of the public who may have encountered the fugitive since his escape.
In a public statement detailing the progress of the manhunt to date, police confirmed that officers executed visits to 20 separate properties across Melbourne’s metropolitan area on June 9 to question Rukaj’s known associates. Following those inquiries, investigators confirmed they now believe the escaped inmate remains hiding somewhere within the Melbourne region.
The investigation has also uncovered that multiple people allegedly helped Rukaj plan his escape, though all suspects believed to be involved are currently outside of Australia. Police added that Rukaj has documented ties to Albanian organized criminal networks, further underscoring the urgency of the manhunt.
Law enforcement has released a detailed public description of the fugitive: he is a Caucasian male with a thin build, standing approximately 176 centimeters tall, with hazel eyes and short, shaved brown hair. He speaks with a Southern European accent, and was last seen wearing a white collared shirt, a black suit, and a pair of Asics athletic trainers.
Victoria Police have issued a clear warning to the public: anyone who spots Rukaj should contact emergency services via the triple-zero emergency line immediately. Members of the community with any relevant information that could help investigators locate the fugitive are asked to either visit their nearest local police station or contact the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 1800 333 000.