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Police up ante after prisoner's escape from brother's Melbourne funeral

ABC Australia · Jun 11, 2026, 3:21 AM

Key takeaways

  • Orijol Rukaj was allowed to leave the corrections facility, under supervision, to attend his brother's funeral.
  • Orijol Rukaj, a 47-year-old on remand for drug importation, had been in custody at Marngoneet Correctional Centre, near Geelong, when he attended the funeral at Keilor Cemetery on a supervised visit.
  • He said approximately 300 people were at the funeral and that Mr Rukaj had helped to carry the casket.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

Orijol Rukaj was allowed to leave the corrections facility, under supervision, to attend his brother's funeral. (Supplied)

Link copied Share Share article. A prisoner who escaped during his brother's funeral in Melbourne's north-west has avoided police detection since doing a runner on Anzac Day.

Orijol Rukaj, a 47-year-old on remand for drug importation, had been in custody at Marngoneet Correctional Centre, near Geelong, when he attended the funeral at Keilor Cemetery on a supervised visit.

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