A coordinated jailbreak at the Theni sub-jail in Tamil Nadu has triggered a multi-district manhunt after 17 undertrial inmates overpowered prison personnel and escaped late Monday night, with police re-arresting four of them and searching for the remaining 13.
Inspector General of Police (South Zone) Vijayendra Bidari said on Tuesday that 17 specialised tracking teams had been formed to trace the escapees. The operation covers parts of southern Tamil Nadu and neighbouring areas, with police teams checking transit routes and circulating the inmates’ identification profiles.
According to the account reported by ANI and published by Deccan Chronicle, the escape began after jail staff responded to a distress call claiming that a prisoner inside a shared cell was unwell. When the guards opened the cell, the 17 inmates allegedly launched a sudden attack on them and fled the premises.
Three prison personnel were injured in the incident. Grade II Police Constable Thangapandi suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the Government Hospital at G Vilakku. Two other officers sustained minor injuries during the confrontation.
Bidari confirmed that four of the 17 inmates had been arrested during the combing operations. Police continued efforts to locate the remaining 13 escapees, while security was intensified in neighbouring districts to prevent them from moving further through the region.
Dindigul Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar said 16 strategic check posts had been established across Dindigul district. Police personnel were conducting vehicle checks on key routes, while identification details and mugshots of the escapees were sent to law-enforcement teams in Madurai, Dindigul and Idukki district in Kerala.
The incident has placed the security and operating procedures of the Theni sub-jail under investigation. The account indicates that the inmates exploited a response to an internal medical distress call before attacking staff, although the authorities have not disclosed further details about the alleged security lapse.
A formal case has been registered, and a high-level investigation is under way alongside the search operation. Police teams are continuing round-the-clock efforts to apprehend the remaining escapees.
