Theni, Tamil Nadu | October 27, 2026
Seventeen undertrial prisoners escaped from the Thekkampatti jail near Andipatti in Tamil Nadu's Theni district on Monday night, October 26, after allegedly assaulting prison personnel during a staged medical emergency.
Police have recaptured four inmates, while 13 others remain at large according to the latest confirmed reports on Tuesday morning.
How the Escape Happened
According to preliminary police investigations, all 17 inmates were lodged in the same prison cell.
At approximately 10:30 PM, some inmates reportedly pretended that a fellow prisoner was experiencing seizures. When prison personnel entered the cell to provide assistance, the inmates allegedly attacked them and escaped.
Prison guard Thangapandi sustained a head injury and was hospitalised. Two other prison staff members were also injured.
Four Prisoners Recaptured
Police first apprehended Praveen Kumar, reportedly from a forested area behind the prison.
Three more escapees were subsequently recaptured: Silambarasan from Theni, and Rajkumar and Raja Sikandar from Madurai.
The remaining 13 inmates are still being sought.
Names of the Remaining Escapees
According to the initial list published in news reports, the inmates still being searched for are Lingam, Karuppasamy, Thirupathi, Meenakshi Sundaram, Sabari, Pon Muthu, Nijanth, Karthik Raja, Mugilan, Selva, Tarun, Muthu Ilango and Rajuveen.
Name spellings are based on published reports and may differ from official police records.
Seventeen Special Police Teams Deployed
South Zone Inspector General of Police Vijayendra Bidari confirmed that 17 special teams had been formed to trace the escaped prisoners.
Security has been strengthened across Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts, as well as areas bordering Kerala.
Dindigul police established checkpoints at 16 locations to conduct intensive vehicle inspections.
Police teams are also using drones and sniffer dogs to search surrounding forests, agricultural fields and hilly terrain.
Investigation into Prison Security
Theni Superintendent of Police K.S. Praveen Gowtham inspected the prison following the incident.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances that allowed the prisoners to escape together, including potential lapses in prison security and whether the incident had been planned in advance.
The incident is among Tamil Nadu's largest mass prison escapes in decades.
A major earlier incident occurred in 1995, when 43 suspected LTTE members escaped from a special detention camp inside Vellore Fort.
Latest Status
As of the latest confirmed reports on October 27 morning, four prisoners have been recaptured and 13 remain at large.
The search operation and investigation are continuing. The individual charges faced by all 17 undertrial prisoners have not yet been fully verified.
