Theni jailbreak: 17 prisoners in TN escape after faking seizures, four of them caught

The Tamil Nadu police have arrested four of the 17 remand prisoners who escaped from Thekkampatti sub-jail in Theni district on the night of Monday, October 26, after allegedly faking a medical emergency to draw prison staff into their cell and assaulting them.

The first accused who was apprehended has been identified as Praveen Kumar. Three others — Silambarasan of Theni, and Raja Sikandar and Rajkumar, both from Madurai — were arrested during search operations in the early hours of October 27. Thirteen prisoners remain absconding, and police have launched a statewide search to trace them.

According to preliminary investigations, all 17 prisoners were lodged in the same cell. At around 10.30 pm on October 26, some of them allegedly called the prison staff on duty, claiming that one of the inmates was suffering from epileptic seizures and needed medical assistance. When the prison staff opened the cell and entered to help, the inmates allegedly attacked them and fled the area at around 11 pm.

Grade II police constable Thangapandi, who was among the personnel attacked, sustained a head injury and was admitted to Theni Government Medical College and Hospital. Two other prison staff members also sustained injuries and were undergoing treatment. 

The Theni district police deployed 17 special teams to trace the escaped prisoners. Checkposts have been strengthened across Theni and neighbouring districts, with vehicle checks intensified at major routes, bus stands and railway stations.

Dindigul Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar told the media that checkposts had been established at 16 locations in the neighbouring districts as a precautionary measure. Police in Madurai and Kerala have also been alerted, and photographs of the escaped prisoners have been circulated to help identify them.

Search operations have extended to forest areas along the Western Ghats and the neighbouring Idukki district in Kerala. Police are also monitoring routes through which the escapees may have returned to their hometowns.

Preliminary reports suggest that many of the escaped accused are from Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Salem and Villupuram districts. 

Following the incident, some of the other prisoners held at the sub-jail were shifted to Madurai Central Prison. Theni Superintendent of Police KS Praveen Gowtham inspected the spot, while Kandamanur police registered a case and began further investigation.

The 13 prisoners who remain absconding are – Karuppasamy alias Madhan (S/o Murugan), Dharunkumar (S/o Chinna), Pandiselvam (S/o Sakthivel), Thirupathi (S/o Karuppanan), Ponmuthuselvam (S/o Ponnusamy), Meenatchisundaram (S/o Karuppanan), Sabarinathan (S/o Palanisundram), Rejin (S/o Ravi), Nisanth (S/o Pandi), Muthu Ilangovan (S/o Murugan), Karthik Raja (S/o Rathinam), Prasanth alias Linga Prasanth (S/o Jeganathamurthy), and Solaimugileswaran (S/o Nagalingam).

The public can contact 9498101570 or 9176104100 with information about the accused.