Theni: Seventeen prisoners escaped from the Thekkampatti district jail near Andipatti in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district after allegedly attacking prison guards on Monday night, prompting a manhunt.
Four escapees had been recaptured by Tuesday morning, while police continued searching for the remaining 13.
Preliminary inquiries indicated that one prisoner pretended to suffer a seizure, drawing guards into the enclosure to provide first aid. The inmates allegedly attacked the guards who came to help and fled together, turning an apparent medical emergency into an escape attempt.
A prison guard injured in the assault was admitted to a hospital. Details of his condition were not immediately available in the account of the incident.
The breakout occurred around 10 p.m. on Monday. Theni Superintendent of Police Praveen Gautham rushed to the jail after being alerted and inspected the premises. Southern Zone Inspector General of Police Vijayendra Bidari visited the prison and questioned personnel about the circumstances surrounding the escape.
Speaking to reporters, Bidari said police received information about the breakout around 10.20 p.m. Seventeen special teams had been constituted to track down the fugitives, and searches were underway across the district.
The first prisoner recaptured was Praveen, a resident of Perungudi in Madurai district. Police found him in a forested area near the jail and brought him back into custody.
Investigators questioned him about the escape plan and the destinations the prisoners intended to reach. According to police, his questioning revealed the alleged seizure ruse used to lure the guards. Officers were continuing their inquiries to establish how the prisoners coordinated the assault and managed to leave the premises.
On Tuesday morning, police apprehended Silambarasan, a resident of Devaram in Theni district.
Two other escapees, identified as Rajkumar and Raja Sikandar, were subsequently caught, bringing the number recaptured to four.
Police intensified vehicle checks throughout the Theni district following the breakout.
Search teams deployed sniffer dogs to trace the fugitives, with operations continuing in areas surrounding the prison.
The Thekkampatti facility houses undertrial prisoners from Theni, Madurai and Dindigul, among other areas.
Most of those who escaped were reportedly undertrials from Madurai district. Three were said to face detention action under the Goondas Act.
The incident has raised questions about security arrangements at the jail, with officers examining the sequence of events as teams pursue the prisoners still at large.
(IANS)
