Tamil Nadu Prisons Chief Transferred Days After Jailbreak By 17 Undertrials

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday transferred DGP Prisons Sandeep Rai Rathore following the brazen and planned escape of 17 undertrial prisoners from the Thekkampatti sub-jail in Theni district on Monday night and their recapture.

Rathore, Director General of Police Prisons and Correctional Services, has been transferred and posted as Director General of Police / Chief Vigilance Officer, TANGEDCO, Chennai.

Additional Director General of Police, Enforcement Bureau CID, Chennai, K Shankar, has been appointed as Additional Director General of Police / DG of Prisons and Correctional Services, Chennai, in Rathore's place, as per an order signed by the Principal Secretary to the Government, A Karthik.

The relentless police efforts ensured all 17 prisoners who escaped after staging a fake medical emergency and overpowering prison guards, were back behind bars within 43 hours.

Following the major security breach, the Tamil Nadu prison department authorised its personnel to use firearms if necessary to prevent prisoners from escaping.

Steps were initiated to transfer the recaptured convicts to high-security correctional facilities across Tamil Nadu. Once all legal formalities were completed, they will be relocated from local jails to central prisons in Salem, Vellore, Cuddalore, and Puzhal, officials said.

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