17 prisoners who escaped from a jail in India’s Tamil Nadu state after staging a fake medical emergency and overpowering prison guards have been recaptured following a 36-hour manhunt.
The dramatic jailbreak took place on Monday night at a prison in Thekkampatti, in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district, according to BBC Tamil.
Police said the escape began when one of the inmates pretended to suffer a seizure, prompting fellow prisoners to shout for help.
When a prison official entered the cell, the inmates overpowered him before allegedly attacking two other guards, seizing their keys and opening the main gate.
A total of 17 prisoners escaped, while another inmate involved in the incident returned to the prison immediately.
Several prison personnel were injured during the attack.
Police launched a major search operation involving special teams, drone surveillance and CCTV footage analysis.
Four escapees were arrested at a nearby bus station, while another was caught travelling in a three-wheeler.
Drone surveillance helped police locate eight prisoners hiding in a forest near the jail, while two others were subsequently captured using similar technology.
The final two prisoners surrendered on Wednesday, bringing the total number recaptured to 17.
According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), all 17 have since been transferred to high-security correctional facilities.
Meanwhile, nine prison staff members have been suspended for alleged negligence following the incident.
Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police for Prisons, Sandeep Rathore, attributed the jailbreak to human error, saying security protocols had been breached.
The incident also exposed serious overcrowding and staffing shortages at the facility.
Police said the prison was housing 334 inmates despite having an official capacity of just 200. Only four guards were reportedly on duty when the escape occurred.
Authorities have announced plans to audit prisons across Tamil Nadu to assess compliance with security procedures.
The jailbreak has also renewed concerns over overcrowding in India’s prison system, where official data from 2023 showed a national occupancy rate of 120.1%, with more than 73% of prisoners awaiting trial or investigations. (Newswire)