Escaped Melbourne Funeral Prisoner Caught near Cape York After Seven Months
Orijol Rukaj slipped out of custody at his brother's funeral in Melbourne seven months ago, handcuffs and all. Police have now arrested the 47-year-old in Bamaga, near Cape York, and plan to send him back to Victoria.
- Original source: abc.net.au.
- The source published it on Nov 13, 2026 at 9:50 AM.
- Not verified by major outlets. This story may be false.
- No second outlet has reported it yet. Treat it as a single-source claim.
Orijol Rukaj, 47, was arrested in Bamaga, near Cape York, on Friday, police said. He had been on the run for almost seven months before officers caught up with him in Far North Queensland. He remains in custody in Queensland and is expected to be interviewed in the coming days.
His escape dates back to April 25, when he was escorted from Marngoneet Correctional Centre, near Geelong, to Keilor Cemetery for his brother's funeral. Rukaj was on remand at the time. Despite wearing handcuffs and helping carry the casket, he managed to break away from the service.
Police said roughly 300 people were at the funeral. Now Victoria Police will seek to extradite him back to the state to face the consequences of the seven-month disappearance.
TopicsOrijol Rukaj · Marngoneet Correctional Centre · Keilor Cemetery · Bamaga · Cape York · Queensland · Victoria
Source: abc.net.au
Written by Paparazzi with AI. Not financial advice.
More stories
- Global & Socialkrro.comCaught by @izhole0viewsSix die as unfinished building's top floor collapses near Nairobi
- Global & Socialindependent.co.ukCaught by @satriahidayat0viewsMuslim teen sues Anaheim school district over teacher's 'terrorist' remark
- Global & Socialfrance24.com0viewsFour students slain in Morelos as Mexico counts around 520 femicides
- Global & Socialindependent.co.ukCaught by @galihmaulana1viewRomance scammers stole his face to pull in $1.4m. Then victims came for him