In a coordinated escape bid, as many as 17 remand prisoners broke out of the Thekkampatti sub-jail near Andipatti in Theni district at around 11 p.m. after attacking prison warders on Monday (October 26, 2026).
The district police have sounded an alert and deployed a large posse of personnel at check-posts.
Inspector General of Police (South Zone) Vijayendra Bidari rushed to the spot and held an inquiry with Theni Superintendent of Police Praveen Gowtham and others.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that all 17 inmates were locked in a cell. At around 10.30 p.m., a few of them had called the warder on duty, claiming that an inmate had suffered a seizure (epilepsy) and seeking assistance. The staffer opened the cell and went inside, where the other inmates assaulted him and escaped.
As the news spread, the police stepped in and deployed more personnel in and around the sub-jail.
The IGP said, “One of those who escaped, identified as Praveen Kumar, was secured within a few hours; three other persons were also nabbed by the teams, taking the total number of arrests to four.”
“As many as 17 special teams have been formed. Combing operations are under way to secure all the remaining accused,” he added.
Another officer who is part of the special team told The Hindu on Tuesday (October 27, 2026) that the inmates hailed from various districts, including Chengalpattu, Salem, Kanniyakumari, Sivaganga, Madurai, and Theni. They were being held in connection with different criminal cases.
The public can contact 9498101570 or 9176104100 if they have any information about the prisoners who escaped.
Who are the 17 inmates?
The names of the escaped inmates are as follows: Lingam, Raja Sinkandar, Karuppasamy, Silambarasan, Thirupathi, Maenchi Sundram, Sabari, Pon Muthu, Nijanth, Karthik Raja, Mugilan, Selva, Tharun, Rajkumar, Praveen, Muthu Ilango, and Rajuveen.
A police officer monitoring the combing operations in Theni said that one of the accused was apprehended in a forest area within a few hours. Subsequently, three others were also nabbed within the next hour. The names of the four rearrested prisoners were given as Praveen Kumar and Silambarasan of Theni district and Raja Sikandar and Rajkumar of Madurai district.
Keralam police alerted
The Keralam police were alerted, and combing operations were under way in some forest areas, too, said a senior officer.
The special teams formed to nab the prisoners have shared their pictures with officers at different locations across Tamil Nadu and Keralam. Searches were under way in the forest areas along the Western Ghats and in the neighbouring Idukki district in Keralam, too.
The police identified the warden injured in the attack by the inmates as Thangapandi, a Grade II constable. He has been admitted to the Theni Government Medical College and Hospital. Two others were also undergoing treatment, the senior officer said.
Though the exact locations from where the four prisoners were rearrested by the special teams were not disclosed immediately, the senior officer said that, based on the confessions of the accused, the teams were in the process of apprehending the remaining prisoners who had escaped.
“Once the remaining 13 prisoners are also secured, we will conduct a thorough inquiry,” said Director General of Police Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal.
Drones used to nab prisoners
The police are also using high-definition drones to nab the escaped prisoners.
A discreet probe involving the jail staff, who were on guard duty at the four prison blocks, revealed that the 17 accused were detained in the second block. They were all booked for criminal offences, including cases involving ganja, attempted murder, and theft.
The officers said that the CCTV footage showed that the 17 persons had used the pathway meant for prisoners and, after attacking a few other personnel at the main gate, had fled under the cover of darkness.
Checks stepped up
Following the escape incident, the prison authorities have directed all prison staff across the State to remain alert and instructed them to exercise extra vigilance when taking prisoners to court hearings on Tuesday.
Published – October 27, 2026 07:26 am IST
