Have you seen this man? Frantic search continues seven weeks after prisoner escaped at his brother's FUNERAL

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 07:02, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 07:02, 11 June 2026 A frantic manhunt continues for a prisoner seven weeks after he slipped away from authorities while attending his brother's funeral. Orijol Rukaj, 47, was being supervised by corrections officers when he attended Keilor Cemetery in Melbourne's north-west at about 1.30pm on Anzac Day. Police say the inmate escaped during the service and left the cemetery undetected. Rukaj was attending the funeral of his brother Sokol Rukaj, a well-known figure in Melbourne's Albanian community and a stalwart of the North Sunshine Eagles FC, Outlaw Media reported. Detectives have released CCTV footage of Rukaj, but say there have been no sightings of him in the two months since he escaped. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, black suit and Asics runners. On Tuesday, police went to 20 properties in Melbourne to talk with Rukaj's associates and gather new information that might lead to his arrest. After the visits, detectives concluded it is likely that Rukaj is still hiding somewhere in Melbourne. The last footage of Orijol Rukaj while he was in prison seven weeks ago has been released in the hope it might lead to his arrest Rukaj has been on the run since Anzac Day after escaping authorities while attending his brother's funeral in Melbourne  Rukaj is described as Caucasian, 170cm tall with short brown hair, a solid build and a southern European accent Police say several people they believe to have helped plan his escape are currently overseas. He is known to frequent the Sunbury and St Albans areas and has connections to Albanian organised crime groups. The new CCTV footage comes from inside a correctional facility earlier this year and shows what he looked like at the time of his disappearance. Rukaj is described as Caucasian, 170cm tall with short brown hair, a solid build and a southern European accent. Police warn that anyone found to be harbouring or assisting Rukaj may face significant penalties. Rukaj is not believed to be violent, but members of the public are urged to call triple-zero immediately if they see him. Anyone with information is urged to contact police. The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.