Theni jailbreak: All 17 escapees caught as final two surrender

THENI: All 17 undertrial prisoners who escaped from the Thekkampatti sub-jail near Andipatti in Tamil Nadu's Theni district have been apprehended, with the two remaining escapees surrendering to police on Wednesday. The two men, identified as Thirupathi and Meenakshi Sundaram, are brothers from Madurai. They surrendered at Gudalur police station with their lawyer and were subsequently arrested.

The 17 prisoners escaped on the night of October 26 after attacking prison personnel. Preliminary inquiries indicated that the inmates had been kept in a single cell and that a prisoner had claimed to have suffered a seizure, prompting a warder to enter. The inmates then assaulted the staff member and escaped.

Prison guard Thangapandi, a Grade II constable, sustained a head injury in the attack. Two other personnel were also injured and received medical treatment.

Police formed special teams and conducted an extensive search operation, including the use of drones to locate escapees hiding in forested areas. Authorities also shared the prisoners' photographs with police in other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, including neighbouring Idukki district.
With the arrest of the final two escapees, all 17 prisoners have been accounted for, according to reports published on October 28.