17 Undertrials Escape Tamil Nadu Jail After Fake Epileptic Seizure, 4 Caught

Police have secured four of the 17 undertrial prisoners who escaped from the Thekkampatti Sub-Jail in Tamil Nadu's Theni district, while an intensive search operation is underway to trace the others.

The four secured escapees have been identified as Praveen Kumar, Silambarasan, Rajkumar and Raja Sikander while an intensive search operation remains actively underway across the district's densely forested areas to trace the remaining 13 prisoners.

South Zone Inspector General of Police Bidari told NDTV that intensive combing operations were underway in the forested area.

"We are confident we will secure all of them," he said.

Police suspect that the remaining prisoners may be hiding in the Theni forest area. Special teams have been deployed to comb the difficult terrain, while checkposts have been set up at 16 points to prevent the escapees from moving out of the area.

According to preliminary information, at least one of the undertrials allegedly feigned an epileptic seizure as part of the escape attempt. The situation reportedly escalated when the police personnel responded, with one police officer sustaining injuries.

The escape has prompted an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether there were any lapses in security or supervision at the sub-jail.

The undertrials were facing various criminal cases, including attempt to murder and drug-related offences.

Police records indicate that the escapees predominantly belong to a young adult demographic, spanning largely between the ages of 19 and 26. They hail from various districts across Tamil Nadu, including Madurai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Kanniyakumari, and Theni.

Police are focusing on the forest belt, where the dense vegetation and challenging terrain could complicate the search. Teams are conducting combing operations while personnel at the checkposts remain on alert to intercept the escapees.