Four prisoners remain at large in Tamil Nadu after 17 inmates escaped from the district jail at Thekkampatti in Theni district, prompting a multi-district manhunt and the suspension of nine prison personnel for alleged dereliction of duty.
Police have recaptured 13 of the escapees and intensified surveillance across Theni, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts. Authorities are also monitoring the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border to prevent the remaining fugitives from crossing into the neighbouring state.
Twenty-five special police teams, each consisting of five constables, have been formed to trace the four prisoners. Six deputy superintendents of police and 20 inspectors are supervising the operation, according to police sources.
The search is covering dense vegetation in the Western Ghats and remote forest areas where the fugitives are suspected to be hiding. Police are using drones to scan difficult terrain, while armed personnel have been deployed at key inter-state check-posts, particularly in Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts.
Vehicle checks are being conducted around the clock at these points. Special teams are also searching bus terminals, railway stations and lodges to prevent the escapees from using public transport or temporary accommodation while avoiding capture.
The operation has required coordination across police units in multiple districts and along an inter-state boundary. The deployment of surveillance teams, drones, armed personnel and transport checks reflects the expansion of the search beyond the jail premises into roads, public transport facilities and remote areas.
Director general of prisons and correctional services Sandeep Rai Rathore visited the Thekkampatti jail to review the circumstances surrounding the escape and inspect its security arrangements. Following the inspection, he ordered the suspension of nine prison personnel for gross dereliction of duty and failure to follow standard operating procedures.
Those suspended include two chief head warders, one grade I warder and six grade II warders. The action places the functioning of the jail and adherence to prescribed security procedures under departmental scrutiny while the police search continues.
Rathore was accompanied during the inspection by south zone inspector general of police Vijayendra Bidari, Madurai range deputy inspector general of police Abhinav Kumar, Madurai range deputy inspector general of prisons A. Murugesan, Madurai central prison superintendent R. Krishnaraj and Theni superintendent of police Praveen Gautham.
Police teams are continuing searches across the three districts, with border surveillance, transport checks and searches of forested areas forming the main elements of the ongoing operation.
