Theni/Alive News: Seventeen prisoners escaped from a sub-jail in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district late Monday night after allegedly attacking prison staff. Police have arrested 13 of the escapees, while a search operation is underway to trace the remaining four.
According to police, all 17 inmates were lodged in the same cell when one allegedly pretended to suffer an epileptic seizure. When jail staff opened the cell to assist him, the prisoners reportedly attacked them and fled.
South Zone Inspector General of Police Vijayendra Bidari said 17 special teams had been formed to track down the escapees. Three police personnel were injured in the incident. Constable Thangapandi sustained a head injury and was admitted to a government hospital, while two other staff members suffered minor injuries.
Police have established 16 checkposts across neighbouring Dindigul district to inspect vehicles and prevent the fugitives from escaping. Authorities in Madurai and Kerala’s Idukki district have also been alerted, and photographs of the escapees have been circulated among police stations.
According to PTI, one escapee reportedly boarded an auto-rickshaw near the prison and asked the driver to take him towards Kanavilakku. A police head constable later intercepted the vehicle and identified the fugitive.
The incident is being described as one of Tamil Nadu’s biggest prison escapes since 1995, when 43 suspected LTTE members escaped from a detention camp inside Vellore Fort through a tunnel.
