Thirteen of the 17 undertrial prisoners who escaped from the sub-jail at Thekkampatti in Theni district on Monday night have been recaptured within 20 hours, Tamil Nadu Police said on Tuesday, as combing operations continued for the remaining four.

Source: The News Dare

Director General of Prisons Sandeep Rai Rathore confirmed that 13 of the 17 prisoners had been arrested and that nine staff members of the jail, including three head constables, have been suspended over the incident. Police used drones to track the escapees across the terrain around the jail; one escapee was caught soon after the break while hiding in a forest area behind the jail, and checkpoints were set up at 16 locations with checks at bus stands.

Source: Power Corridors (NDTV inputs)

How the escape happened

According to police, at about 10 pm on October 26, inmates raised an alarm claiming a prisoner in the third block was having an epileptic seizure. When a warder went to check, the inmates allegedly overpowered the guards, snatched the keys, forced open the main gate and walked out. Inspector General of Police (South Zone) Vijayendra Bidari said the prisoners appeared to have staged the medical emergency as a ruse. Cases have been registered against the escaped prisoners at Gandamanur police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections including those for hurting a public servant and causing hurt with a weapon.

Police said the sub-jail, functioning since January 10, 2019, has a capacity of 200 prisoners but was holding 334 at the time of the escape. The prisoners who escaped were facing charges including attempted murder and drug-related offences.

The Theni break is the second jailbreak in Tamil Nadu within a fortnight: two prisoners escaped from Puzhal Central Prison near Chennai on October 13 and 14 and were arrested on October 15, after which seven assistant jailers were suspended. Opposition leaders, including former chief minister M.K. Stalin and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, criticised the TVK government of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay over the repeated prison security failures — criticism the government has not yet publicly answered in the reports.