Seventeen inmates escaped from Theni sub-jail of Tamil Nadu on Monday night in a daring jailbreak that saw one of the inmates fake an epileptic seizure.
Seventeen inmates escaped from Tamil Nadu’s Theni sub-jail in a daring jailbreak late Monday night after assaulting prison personnel who had entered their cell following reports that one of them was unwell. The breakout triggered a massive manhunt across neighbouring districts, with police setting up checkpoints at 16 locations in Dindigul and deploying 17 special teams to track down the escapees.
By Tuesday morning, four of the 17 escaped inmates had been arrested with a manhunt underway for the remaining. Nine jail personnel, including two head constables, were also suspended in connection with the incident.
All 17 inmates were lodged in the same cell when jail personnel entered on Monday night after receiving complaints that one of the prisoners was undergoing an epileptic seizure. The inmates attacked the guards as soon as they entered the cell before making their escape, leaving three prison personnel injured.
Reacting to the jailbreak, Tamil Nadu Law Minister Nirmal Kumar confirmed that one of the prisoners had feigned illness to lure the guards into the cell. “They were are in the same block and enacted a drama as though someone had collapsed due to an epileptic seizure. They then attacked the warden and two others who went to check,” Nirmal Kumar said, adding that four of the prisoners had been secured by Tuesday morning.
Police have intensified vehicle checks and set up checkpoints at 16 locations in neighbouring Dindigul district as they attempt to track down the remaining escapees. Dindigul Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar confirmed the deployment to ANI.