As many as 17 convicts serving various sentences escaped from a district jail in Thekkampatti, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, late Monday night. Police have apprehended one of the escapees from a forest area behind the prison.
According to Inspector General of Police, South Zone, Vijayendra S Bidari, authorities received information about the jailbreak at around 11:20 pm. The convicts allegedly staged a medical emergency, claiming that one of them was suffering from epileptic fits and required urgent treatment.
The prisoners reportedly attacked prison personnel before escaping. One prison department employee sustained injuries and was taken to the district government hospital for treatment.
Superintendent of Police K S Praveen Gowtham is leading the investigation, with 17 special teams formed to track down the remaining escapees. Temporary check-posts have been established along the borders of neighbouring districts, including Idukki, Madurai and Dindigul. Police have also circulated photographs and details of the escaped convicts to assist in their capture.
The incident occurred approximately 500 kilometres south of Chennai. The jailbreak comes a week after two inmates escaped from the high-security Puzhal Central Prison near Chennai on October 13. Both were apprehended in Chennai two days later following a police manhunt.
