After Theni jailbreak, Tamil Nadu DGP Prisons Sandeep Rai Rathore transferred

The Tamil Nadu government has transferred Director General of Police (Prisons) Sandeep Rai Rathore, two days after 17 undertrial prisoners escaped from the Thekkampatti sub-jail in Theni district in a major security breach. All 17 prisoners have since been apprehended following a 43-hour search operation.

Rathore has now been posted as Director General of Police and Chief Vigilance Officer at TANGEDCO in Chennai. K Shankar, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Enforcement Bureau-CID, has been appointed as the new ADGP of Prisons and Correctional Services, according to a government order signed by Principal Secretary A Karthik on Thursday, October 29. Shankar, who is due for elevation to the rank of DGP in January 2027, has previously served in the prisons department as ADGP.

Rathore's transfer came a day after police arrested the final two fugitives, identified as Tirupathi and Meenakshisundaram, bringing the search operation to an end.

The jailbreak took place around 10 pm on Monday, October 26, when the inmates allegedly staged a fake medical emergency to overpower prison staff. One of the prisoners pretended to suffer an epileptic seizure, prompting a guard to enter their cell to assist him. The inmates then allegedly assaulted the guard, seized the keys to the main gate and escaped towards nearby forest areas.

During their escape, the prisoners reportedly travelled on a motorcycle from Aranjanaipudur towards Uthamapalayam. They later borrowed a mobile phone from a stranger in Ammachipuram to contact their associates, who allegedly arranged money, clothes and vehicles for them.

The search operation involved 17 specialised police teams, five Special Task Force units and four Tamil Nadu Special Police battalions. Drones were also deployed to scan the dense forest areas where the fugitives were suspected to be hiding.

Following their recapture, the prisoners are being shifted to high-security correctional facilities across the state. Five of them were produced before a judicial magistrate on October 27 and remanded to judicial custody until November 10. Another eight were produced in court on October 28 and remanded until November 11. The remaining prisoners were also produced before the court on October 29.

After completing the legal formalities, the inmates will be transferred to central prisons in Salem, Vellore, Cuddalore and Puzhal.

The Theni jailbreak was the second prison escape reported in Tamil Nadu within a week. On October 20, two prisoners escaped from Puzhal Central Prison and were apprehended the following day. Seven assistant jailers were suspended over alleged security lapses.