13 Of 17 Theni Jail Escapees Arrested After Drone Surveillance, 9 Prison Officials Suspended: DGP Rathore

Theni: Police have arrested 13 of the 17 inmates who escaped from the Theni district jail in Tamil Nadu, with drone surveillance and extensive search operations launched to track down the prisoners, officials said on Tuesday.

Prison DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore, who visited the district jail, said nine prison department officials had been suspended in connection with the incident.

He also said the Tamil Nadu Police had actively participated in the operation to apprehend the escaped inmates, with two teams working together.

"So far, 13 people have been arrested. Nine prison department officials have been suspended. The Tamil Nadu Police were actively involved in efforts to apprehend the escaped prisoners. Two teams were working together on the operation," Rathore told reporters. 

Considering the highly forested and mountainous terrain surrounding the jail, police sealed all exit routes with armed checkposts and launched systematic combing operations after receiving information about the escape.

Bordering districts sealed their borders, while Kerala Police was alerted to check for the escaped inmates. Photographs and details of all the prisoners were made public to seek information from the public.

Police also covered railway tracks and railway stations to prevent the inmates from escaping through rail routes. Checks were conducted at airports, while surveillance was deployed at the residences of the accused and their relatives and friends.

Villages in the area were alerted, and forest guards and revenue officials were asked to assist in the search. Taxi stands, auto stands, and bus stands were also alerted to help track the escaped prisoners.

As part of the operation, 17 special teams were formed to conduct systematic searches across the area. Five Special Task Force (STF) teams were called in to comb the forest, while four Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) companies were deployed to assist in the operation.

With daylight, three specialised drones were deployed to track the escaped inmates. Officials said drone footage helped police cover large areas and pinpoint the prisoners' locations, assisting in their arrests.

The incident has triggered a political exchange in Tamil Nadu, with leaders of the DMK and BJP questioning the state government's handling of law and order and prison security.

DMK Deputy General Secretary Kanimozhi said media reports indicated that more than 50 prisoners had escaped from prisons across Tamil Nadu since the TVK government assumed office, with 17 reportedly escaping in a single day.

"Media reports indicated that more than 50 prisoners had escaped from prisons across Tamil Nadu since the TVK government assumed office. 17 prisoners had reportedly escaped in a single day. The police is allegedly responding in support of the ruling party when opposition parties raised issues concerning lapses in policing. The police should focus on carrying out their duties and should not function like the ruling party's IT wing," Kanimozhi told reporters. 

BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy also criticised the state government over the incident, calling it a failure of governance and questioning the prison reforms announced by the administration.

"The way it has happened, the failure of the TVK government, incompetence of the TVK government, immaturity of the TVK government. As soon as this government came, the Minister for Prisons, Nirmal Kumar, was saying that a lot of reforms will be taken. And I don't understand what reforms, making people escape from jails? More than 50 people have escaped from jails in the last six months under TVK rule, and this is very alarming. And the six convicts of the Coimbatore bomb blast have been released from Coimbatore on parole for two months," he told ANI.