Seventeen inmates escape from Tamil Nadu jail after attacking guards; four recaptured

• Seventeen prisoners escaped from Thekkampatti district jail in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district after allegedly attacking guards on Monday night

• Four were recaptured by Tuesday morning; 17 special police teams are searching for the remaining 13

• Police said a prisoner allegedly feigned a seizure to lure guards into the enclosure; one injured guard was hospitalised

Seventeen prisoners escaped from Thekkampatti district jail near Andipatti in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district on Monday night after allegedly luring guards into their enclosure and attacking them. Four were recaptured by Tuesday morning, while a search continued for the remaining 13.

Police said preliminary inquiries suggested that one inmate pretended to have a seizure, prompting guards to enter the enclosure to administer first aid. The prisoners allegedly assaulted the personnel and fled.

One guard injured in the attack was admitted to hospital. Details of his condition were not immediately available.

The breakout occurred at around 10 p.m. Southern Zone Inspector General of Police Vijayendra Bidari said police were alerted at approximately 10.20 pm and formed 17 special teams to pursue the escapees.

Theni superintendent of police Praveen Gautham reached the jail after receiving information about the incident and inspected the premises. Bidari also visited the facility and questioned prison personnel about the escape.

The first prisoner to be recaptured was Praveen, a resident of Perungudi in Madurai district, who was found in a forested area near the jail.

According to police, his questioning provided information about the alleged seizure ruse. Investigators also questioned him about how the escape was planned and where the prisoners intended to go.

Silambarasan, from Devaram in Theni district, was apprehended on Tuesday morning. Two other escapees, identified as Rajkumar and Raja Sikandar, were subsequently caught, taking the number recaptured to four.

Police stepped up vehicle checks across Theni district and deployed sniffer dogs as teams searched areas surrounding the prison.

The Thekkampatti facility holds undertrial prisoners from Theni, Madurai, Dindigul and other areas. Most of those who escaped were reportedly undertrials from Madurai district, while three were said to face detention proceedings under the Goondas Act.

Officers are examining how the inmates coordinated the alleged assault and breached security as efforts continue to locate those still at large.

With IANS inputs