13 of 17 undertrial prisoners who escaped from Theni jail nabbed; search on for four

THENI: Eight more of the 17 undertrial prisoners who escaped from Thekkampatti jail in Theni district have been arrested, taking the total number of those caught to 13. A search is underway for the remaining four prisoners, with police using drones to track them down.

Five of the escapees were earlier arrested from different locations. Following this, the police launched drone-assisted searches in areas where the prisoners were likely to hide, including overgrown and forested regions near the jail. Eight more prisoners were caught during these operations. Efforts are continuing to trace the remaining four.

The Thekkampatti jail, located near Andipatti, houses 334 prisoners from various districts in four blocks. The dramatic escape took place around 10.30 pm on Monday. A prisoner in the third block suddenly fell to the floor and pretended to suffer an epileptic seizure. Other prisoners then urged the prison staff to take him to the hospital immediately. When two prison staff members on security duty opened the block, the inmates attacked them as a group. They assaulted the personnel and forced their way out of the block. After locking the block from outside, they attacked two more prison staff members near the main gate. The prisoners then snatched the keys from the staff, opened the main gate and escaped from the jail. Three of the escapees are accused in murder cases.

On learning about the incident, senior police officers, including the Madurai Range Inspector General, reached the jail. A large police contingent was subsequently deployed, and a search operation was launched. Nearby police stations were alerted, and the search was intensified.

As the region shares a border with Kerala's Idukki district, the police suspected that the escapees might attempt to enter Idukki or Palakkad. The assistance of the Kerala Police was also sought to trace them. Checks have been intensified along three major routes leading to Idukki. A total of 25 police teams have been deployed to track down the remaining prisoners.